Teenage yobs batter mum for being ‘goth’

A GANG of teenagers launched a terrifying, unprovoked attack on a mum after accusing her of being a “goth”.

Gena Willenberg, 32, has told how she was left with a broken nose, a cut and badly swollen eye, and bruising all over her chest after being set-upon in Viewcraig Gardens, Dumbiedykes, simply because of “the way she looks”.

The Texan, who moved to Edinburgh last year, had gone to visit her sister-in-law with a friend when the gang of older teenagers began hurling vile abuse at them.

“They started shouting at me and my friend that we were f****** goths and they were going to kick our f****** heads in,” she said.

“It was intimidating and I didn’t understand it because I’m not a goth. My friend had blue hair, but it was still just foul abuse.

“We turned our back and just kept going and that was when they attacked me. One of them tried to smash a bottle over the back of my head, but fortunately it didn’t break. Then they started punching and kicking me.

“I fell to the ground and they just kept on kicking me. My friend tried to stop them from stamping on me and they attacked her, too.

“There was one girl in the group and she pulled my hair back so one of her friends could kick me in the face.”

She said the attack only ended when her sister-in-law came out and started screaming at the gang. Police were called and Gena was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment.

She needed work to reset her nose and put stitches in her eye. Her friend, who had a burst lip, also needed stitches.

The gang also stole Gena’s mobile phone, which she said was worth more than £300.

She said that she had heard about trouble in the area previously but had never been threatened or attacked.

“One time I got a taxi down there and the driver refused to take us in because he said kids were throwing rocks at the cars, which I was pretty shocked by,” she said.

The stay-at-home mother said she had not yet told her six-year-old son about what happened, simply saying she had been in an accident.

“I’m completely shocked,” she said. “It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever had to deal with in my life and I just had no idea that people could be so cruel to complete strangers just because of the way they look.”

Local Conservative councillor Cameron Rose said: “I am appalled by this incident and I feel very sorry for the young lady from Texas.

“Over recent weeks there has been an increased police presence in the area which has helped in terms of young people who have been involved in criminal activity, but clearly it is an ongoing issue in the area.

“I would encourage anyone with any information to come forward.”

A police spokesman confirmed that they were investigating an assault which took place in Viewcraig Gardens at around 8pm on Friday and appealed for witnesses.