Boy, 16, was left in a coma with swelling around his brain after two thugs knocked him unconscious and stamped on his head in horror attack at TRNSMT festival

A 16-year-old boy was left in a coma with swelling around his brain after a brutal assault at the TRNSMT music festival in Glasgow.

Lee Paton was placed on a ventilator as medics scrambled to save him after he was knocked unconscious during a ‘vicious assault by two men who stamped on his head’.

The serious incident took place in front of the Ferris wheel between the Main Stage and the Boogie Bar at the festival in Glasgow Green at around 3pm on Saturday (July 13).

The teenager, from Patna, East Ayrshire, had travelled to his first ever music festival with girlfriend Paige Borland, also 16, after the pair had secured weekend tickets.

But Lee’s dreams of seeing headliner Gerry Cinnamon were left in ruins when he was rushed to the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after the horror attack.

Lee was placed in an induced coma after he suffered blows to the head and a fractured eye socket, with his eye left severely bruised and swollen.

His dad Tam Paton, 32, and mum Marie Dempsey, 39, rushed to Glasgow from Patna after receiving a call that is ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’.

Tam said: ‘It was absolutely heartbreaking seeing him like that. He was hooked up to a ventilator and completely battered and bruised, his face was a mess.

‘Lee was enjoying his weekend and then these thugs have left him for dead. His girlfriend Paige called to say Lee had been attacked and had been taken to hospital.

‘To be told that is every parent’s worst nightmare. We had to arrange transport from Patna all the way to Glasgow, our minds were racing the whole way up.

‘When we got to the hospital we were put in a family room and there was police guarding the room Lee was in. My heart just sunk, I was fearing the worst.’

Lee discharged himself from hospital on Sunday after he awoke from the induced coma. When he woke up, he was absolutely gutted to realise he’d missed Gerry Cinnamon.

Tam said: ‘The doctors wanted to keep him in but Lee was desperate to get home. He’s not out the woods yet, we’ve been given a head trauma leaflet and been told it could be weeks before he makes a full recovery.

‘It was his first ever festival, he was absolutely buzzing to see Gerry Cinnamon. When he woke up he asked if he’d missed Gerry’s gig? He was devastated, he’s a huge big Gerry Cinnamon fan.’

Tam urged anyone with information to come forward, adding: ‘I’m absolutely fuming beyond words and his mum is destroyed. I can’t understand why anyone would do that. For two of these so-called men to stamp on a 16-year-old’s head is beyond belief.

‘Lee’s such a nice quiet boy, he was meant to start his first job on Monday, now he’s been left with horrific injuries. These cowards need to be caught and brought to justice.’

The first male is described as being around 6ft, of slim build, aged around 19-20, with a dark buzz cut hairstyle and a half sleeve tattoo on his right arm. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black bucket hat and Scotland saltire flag wrapped around him.

The second male is described as around 6ft 1in, of slim build, also aged around 19-20, with dark hair. He was wearing a light-coloured top.

Detective Sergeant Stephen Greenshields, of Police Scotland’s Shettleston CID, said: ‘This incident has left the victim with serious injuries, and we are carrying out extensive enquiries to identify the males responsible.

‘Numerous people will have witnessed this incident, and we would urge anyone with any information that could assist with our enquiries to come forward.

‘If you think you can help, you can contact police via 101, quoting 2222 of 13 July, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.’