A TEN-YEAR-OLD girl from Yate has been taken to hospital after a boy dressed as a clown attempted to frighten others in a public park yesterday.

Casie Morrison had been playing with her two siblings in Witch’s Hat Park in Yate yesterday afternoon when an individual emerged from the bushes dressed as a clown, reportedly in possession of a knife, in an attempt to scare those nearby.

Her mum Kirsty, who was with them at the time, said that she heard the scream of one of her other children, and had looked up to see the individual standing motionless in the bushes.

After calling out to the figure, saying she would phone the police, Mrs Morrison said that some older children in the park advanced on the clown, who then drew a knife and began to run.

She said that as the clown fled the park, the clown pushed passed Casie, who was on her bike at the time, causing her to fall to the ground, getting a number of cuts and grazes, and hurting her arm.

She received some treatment yesterday but went to hospital today where it was confirmed that she had broken her arm. 

Police were called following the incident and have since discovered that the culprit was a boy under the age of 10.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We received a report relating to a young girl falling off her bike after another child jumped out at her while wearing a mask."

The spokesman added that the child responsible, who cannot be named, has been spoken to by officers.

Speaking to the Gazette, Mrs Morrison said: “I was the only adult there, and I dread to think what could have happened even if I wasn’t in the park with my children.

“Everyone laughed off the silly clown thing last year, but when you are there in that situation, it is terrifying. All your thoughts are to protect your children.

“We were in a public park. Had it been somewhere else, somewhere more secluded, you never know what could have happened.”

“Without a mask on, you would not expect it to be someone so young. It is terrifying to think that someone of that age could be capable of something like that.

“It beggars belief how someone could find doing something like that fun. My girls didn’t sleep at all last night because they had been shaken by what happened.

"After this I would really suggest to other parents with young children that they keep an eye on them when they are out and about.”

A spate of incidents were reported across South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire and the UK last October as the ‘killer clown’ phenomenon gripped the nation, sparking widespread terror.

It had been speculated a return of the craze could occur, following the release of the remake of Steven King’s film “It” – which features a murderous clown.