Zim boy suffers a 'sickening and violent death' in Scotland

A five-year-old Scottish boy suffered a 'sickening and violent' death that was so gruesome medics had to be given counselling, the Dailymail reported.

The boy, named locally as Scott Chiriseri, was found by an ambulance crew called to a flat in Alva, Clackmannanshire, yesterday morning after a member of the public dialled 999.

The boy, who is understood to have suffered a stab wound, was pronounced dead at the scene and residents of the Scottish town have today left tributes.

His mother, believed to be Zimbabwean Farai Chirashi, was being questioned by detectives last night.

Neither the boy's father, named locally as Tichakunda Chiriseri, or his older sister Natasha, are thought to have been at home at the time of the incident.

Members of the emergency services who attended the scene are believed to have been offered counselling, according to the Daily Record.

One of the medics told the paper the boy had suffered a 'sickening and violent death'.

Local streets were cordoned off, and forensic officers were seen searching the grass outside the flat, apparently looking for the weapon involved.

Chief Inspector Stephen Sneddon said: 'Emergency services in the Forth Valley responded to an address in Carnaughton Place, Alva, around 8.50am today in response to a call about the welfare of a five-year-old boy.

'On arrival, police officers found the child with a significant injury to his body. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

'Inquiries into the full circumstances surrounding this incident are ongoing and a woman is currently detained in connection with the investigation.

'We are not currently looking for anyone else and I want to reassure the local community that there is no risk to them.

'Police officers will be carrying out various inquiries in the area and I would ask the public to continue to give us the full support they have shown so far, to allow us to conclude these investigations as soon as possible and allow the area to return to normal.

'This is a quiet area and I would emphasise that this is a very unusual incident which poses no risk to others.'

Local Susan Smith, 48, said: 'I walked past this morning and police officers in their white forensic suits were out scouring the grass in front of the place.'

An onlooker said: 'Officers have been going in and out all morning, looking grim-faced. People say the woman being held is a young mum. It's an awful tragedy.'

Last night, William Wood, 30, the family's former landlord, paid tribute to the dead boy.

He said: 'They were a lovely family from Zimbabwe, religious, did not drink alcohol of any sort, quiet, good neighbours, no trouble at all - among the best tenants we ever had.

'Scott used to play with my wee boy who is around the same age - he was just three when we knew him. He was just a lovely, normal three-year-old.

'We knew the parents as Fari and Titch. They had lived in our property for three years. We are really, really shocked.'

A police mobile incident room and communications van was parked nearby yesterday.

Police said there was one other child in the household, who was not at home when the incident occurred. Officers refused to say if the mother and dead child were known to social workers.