A WILTSHIRE teenager who was attacked by a gang of bullies that filmed the ordeal and put it online has spoken out about his experiences to mark Anti-Bullying week.

Kristo Crushcov was lured out of his home by a girl from another school who he had been speaking to online.

He was grabbed and punched from behind in an unprovoked attack, which was later shared on social media site Snapchat.

Kristo later received messages saying the group would come to his house and do it again, but he says he is "not afraid of standing up to speak out against these bullies".

“It’s popular for young people to have fights and spread violence," Kristo said.

"If you keep beating someone up and film it, it’s like a badge of honour - it’s become an epidemic."

In 2017/18, Childline delivered almost 20,000 counselling sessions about bullying and cyber-bullying, the majority of which (47 per cent) were with those aged 12 to 15-years-old. A quarter of all sessions were with children aged 11 and under.

“Considering at least 27 young people have already been affected by it here, and some lives have been shattered because some of these kids won’t leave their houses, suffer from anxiety, I think it’s sickening," Kristo added.

"The fact that they attack children of such a young age minding their own business is terrifying."

Childline service manager, Wendy Robinson said: “These experiences can have a devastating impact on their lives, potentially leading to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and in the very worst cases, suicide. Whether it’s happening online or in the real wold it is vitally important that any young person who is experiencing bullying talks to someone they trust, be it a friend, parent, teacher or a Childline counsellor We also hope that Anti-Bullying Week encourages young people to remember how their actions and words can impact other children and teenagers."

Call Childline on 0800 1111.