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A young boy who cried himself to sleep after "being shot" in Ilkeston says he is now too scared to leave his house alone.

Joshua Woodroffe, 14, says he no longer feels safe riding his bike outdoors after he was shot at - presumably with an air weapon - and injured while making his way home.

The youngster was riding back from Morrisons in Nottingham Road after going to pick up fabric conditioner for his mum at around 7.30pm on Tuesday, October 16.

He said he momentarily stopped on his bike to pick up shopping he had dropped when he heard a loud bang and felt a "sharp, burning sensation" hit his arm.

His mother, Sarah Woodroffe was later horrified to discover a bloody wound on his arm when he took off his jumper and padded coat.

Mother-of-eight Sarah, 35, said: "I thought a stone had flicked up off a tyre but he said there were no cars on the road.

"It was a burn mark on his arm and it was swollen, red and angry. It wasn't a stone, he had been shot."

Joshua, who is a pupil at Kirk Hallam Community Academy, is said to be "shaken up" by the incident and didn't even feel safe when a police officer walked him up the road after coming to take a statement.

Sarah continued: "He's quite outgoing, he goes everywhere on his bike.

"If it had been a few inches higher, it could have hit him through the neck. It's made a mess of his arm so I dread to think what could have happened if it was a bit higher.

"Me and my husband think it may not have even hit him directly, just skimmed him. What if it had hit him dead on? It doesn't even bear thinking about."

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Sarah, who is a landlady, said her other sons went out looking for the offender in a bid to find whoever had injured Joshua.

And despite claiming to have heard another gun shot and seeing a light shining from a nearby building, they couldn't find who hurt their brother.

Sarah said: "He cried himself to sleep in pain.

"I sent him to get fabric conditioner whereas now I wouldn't do that - you just don't know.

"He didn't want to go to school today. He's worried about going anywhere on his bike."

Anyone with any information is being urged to contact Derbyshire police using the non-emergency number 101.