Pershore High School pupil threatened with knife outside care home

Alex Niesiel, a year nine pupil at Pershore High School, was threatened with a knife while looking after a friend’s motorbike.

His mother, Aleksandra Sliwakowska, is worried for her son’s mental well-being as he comes to terms with what happened on Monday, February 20.

She said: “When he first came back he seemed alright, acting as if nothing happened.

“But yesterday when he got home he was sick all night for no reason.

“I’m worried that it was the adrenaline and now he is realising what happened.

“I’m scared myself, not even about what happened but I don’t want him to develop PTSD or have nightmares.

“It’s a huge deal for a 13-year-old, I can’t even think about it.”

Alex had been looking after the motorbike for a friend (Image: Aleksandra Sliwakowska)

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In a statement released on Wednesday, West Mercia Police said the victim of the incident was a man but Alex’s mother Aleksandra says this was not the case.

She explained Alex and a girl were looking after a 16-year-old friend’s bike near Cherry Orchard Care Home while he went to the shop.

Two men then approached, one described by police as 6’2”, of skinny build and wearing all black clothing with a balaclava on and his hood up and the second as 5’11”, of average build, with blonde wavy hair, a thin blonde beard and was wearing a white t-shirt, grey jogging bottoms and a jacket.

The men asked Alex for the keys to the bike, but he didn’t have them.

Aleksandra added: “They told him to sit down on a bench and then they sat down either side of him and pulled out a knife.

“He was crying, saying ‘please don’t stab me’.

“He was really, really, stressed.”

Alex was made to call the bike’s owner to ask how long he would be, by which point the girl had ran off and called the police.

Upon hearing that he would be another 15 minutes, the men grabbed the bike.

“They threatened Alex again saying ‘if you are going to tell anyone I will kill you',]" Aleksandra added.

“I am just happy that Alex did not get hurt in any way.”

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Speaking earlier this week, Detective Sergeant Edward Jones said: “Incidents like this are unusual in Pershore so I understand that this will be alarming for the local community.

“We don’t believe that the offenders are local and we are working hard, in partnership with our colleagues from British Transport Police, to apprehend those responsible.

“I’d urge anyone who was in either area at the time and may have witnessed the robberies, or saw anyone matching the description of the offenders to please come forward.  We would also be interested in any CCTV, dash-cam or video doorbell footage which may show the offenders.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Catherine Pinney on 01905 331050 or catherine.pinney@westmercia.police.uk quoting incident 531i of 20 February 2023.