Boy (17) set on fire by group demanding money

A teenage boy is in hospital after he was reportedly set alight by a group of youths in Cork city last night.

A teenage boy is in hospital after he was reportedly set alight by a group of youths in Cork city last night.

It is believed that 17-year-old Mark Higgins, who suffered burns on his neck and hand, was doused in a liquid and set on fire by a group of other teenagers demanding money.

He had finished babysitting and was on his way to a chip shop at around 3.30 a.m. last night when the group approached him and asked him for money. When he replied he had none, he was attacked.

His mother Eleanor Higgins said: "One of the guys went to hit him and when he ducked the punch, they threw petrol at him and just set him alight. He was on fire".

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He is in a stable condition at Cork University Hospital.