Mark Curran, a 7-year-old boy accused of harassment after he punched another student in self-defense

Mark Curran, a 7-year-old boy from Massachusetts is being accused of harassment after he punched another student in the groin while he was being choked, according to the boy’s mother.

Mark Curran says he was riding his elementary school bus home when a bully stole his new gloves and choked him, prompting him to act in self defense.

The boy’s mother, Tasha Lynch, told the Boston Globe:

“I think my kid was right to fight back.

“He wasn’t doing anything except protecting himself.”

 

Mark Curran now faces suspension or transfer to another school if he is found guilty of the attack, according to a letter from Tynan Elementary school.

Boston school spokesman Matthew Wilder told The Globe: “Any kind of inappropriate touching would fall under that category.

“The school administration is conducting a full investigation that has not concluded yet. Certainly, once that investigation is through, we’ll then make a final conclusion as to who will be disciplined and how.”

Tasha Lynch said her son was visibly upset when she greeted him at the bus stop on November 22nd.

Asking him what was wrong, the boy explained what had happened, in time for her to question his bus driver.

“He just smiled and shrugged,” Tasha Lynch recalled.

With his school’s office not returning her calls Tasha Lynch says she asked her older son to escort Mark Curran to the principal’s office and report what had happened.

“I just thought they were going to call the parents, tell us both to come in and make the boys shake hands,” Mark Curran’s mother said.

But instead, Tasha Lynch says they began questioning her son on the incident and to his recollection.

“They didn’t believe me,” Mark Curran told The Globe on Thursday.

“I didn’t get my gloves back,” the boy added.

According to his mother, the school principal told her: “It doesn’t matter who hit who first.”

“He said he hit him in the testicles,” Tasha Lynch recalled of the principal, “That’s assault. That’s sexual assault.”

In which Tasha Lynch says she replied: “The kid choked my son first and that’s called attempted murder. He said he couldn’t breath.”

On Monday, Mark Curran’s mother says a hearing regarding the incident is scheduled which could include witnesses including the two boys.

Since this news Tasha Lynch says she has been trying to find a lawyer or an advocate who will help assist her defense.

The mother says her son feels “totally alone”.

“Nobody believed him. Nobody was there for him,” Tasha Lynch said.