Boy, one, suffers severe burns after yob aimed firework rocket at his pram and it exploded in his face

• Alfie West, one, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire had a firework aimed at his pram
• His mother Nicole, 22, tried to get her son out of the way but it entered the hood
• It is believed the boy who threw the rocket was only as young as nine years old
• Alfie was hospitalised for ‘severe burns’ but his injuries are not life-threatening 

A one-year-old boy needed medical treatment for ‘severe burns’ after a firework rocket was aimed at his pram and exploded in his face. 

Alfie West was out with his mum Nicole, 22, when she was approached by a young boy who aimed the rocket at her son and fired it towards the pram.

The mother-of-two tried to get her son out of the way, but the firework entered his hood and began to ‘explode’ and Alfie ended up with burns to his eye, neck, back and arm.

The incident took place on Sunday when the mother was out walking with her son and a friend near Jordanthorpe shopping centre in Sheffield

Alfie’s grandmother Jill Turner, 55, said her daughter was left ‘traumatized’ by the random act and hasn’t left her home since.

She said: ‘She is frightened to come out as she feels she can’t protect him anymore – it’s really upset her.’

The incident took place at 1:30 on Sunday when the mother was out walking with her son and a friend near Jordanthorpe shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

A boy, believed to be aged just nine, approached them and fired the rocket towards her son, who was sitting in the front seat of a double pram.

Ms Turner said her daughter initially tried to evade the firework, but it went on to strike Alfie in the face.

She added: ‘She tried to move the pram out the way, but it went into Alfie’s hood and started to explode.

‘She then tried to grab it and throw it, but it had already burned him – it burnt him on his neck, back and arm.

‘Luckily, she had wrapped him up warm in lots of clothes, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been as his clothing stopped a lot of it.

‘The fire brigade arrived first to check if there was anything still burning in his skin, and then the ambulance came.

‘Alfie was in shock – he went into like a sleep, and he wouldn’t wake up.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said the family are being supported by specialist officers and that Alfie’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening

‘But after half an hour, he started to come round, and then he got taken to the hospital.

‘The police went with him. They took all his clothes for evidence.’

Once in hospital, Alfie was checked over by doctors who found burns to his eye, neck, back and arm.

Thankfully there was no lasting damage to his vision.

Ms Turner added: ‘The injury on his eye burnt all his eyebrow and lashes off, but luckily, it didn’t damage his eye.

‘They said that his arm may scar, but that’s not as bad as his face.’

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said: ‘Police were called at around 1:30 pm on 7 November 2021 to reports that a one-year-old boy had been hit by a firework in Batemoor Drive.

‘The boy suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital via ambulance.

‘His family are being supported by specialist officers at this time. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

‘An investigation has been launched. Officers have spoken to a number of individuals in connection to the incident and enquiries are ongoing. 

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