A FOUR-year-old was "mugged" of his toy gun in broad daylight in a shocking attack, while playing in the middle of a park.

Little Antony, was running around the enclosed play area at Shoebury Common with a friend on Saturday afternoon, just metres from his parents.

But his mum and dad, Chantelle and Aaron Liversidge, were left stunned after a hooded teenager snatched the half-a-metre long gun from his grasp.

Echo: The familyThe family

The teenager then made off through the park, before being rugby tackled to the floor by Mr Liversidge, 33.

Antony has been left shaken following the attack.

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Mrs Liversidge, 32, said: “He keeps asking if the bad boy will come to the house or come back again.

“He just wanted to leave the park straight away.

“We took him to the beach and we got him a new one.

“He doesn’t understand why someone would do that, and neither do we.

“It was in broad daylight, it was shocking.

“He had made a friend in the play area and they were both playing around together, going down the slides with the gun in his hand.

“All of a sudden the teenager had snatched it and ran.

“You never think something like this would happen.”

The Rochford family were also with their one-year-old son Leo at the time.

Mr Liversidge immediately chased the culprit out of the play area and through Shoebury Common, before rugby tackling him to the ground.

They were left fearful that the teenager could have been armed.

He said: “Before I got to him he had thrown the gun on the floor - it had snapped in half.

“I don’t understand why someone would do that, it’s a four-year-old boy. When I got to him I was worried about what he might have on him.

“Once I’d pinned him down, he just kept saying that he did it because he was a teenager.

“He said that over and over and over again.

“I’d seen him sit down on the roundabout in the play area about five minutes before he stole it, but I just thought he was with someone else”

The teenager was dressed in a white hoodie, tracksuit bottoms, and Crocs.