A mother has called for ball bearing guns to be banned after her teenage son was shot in the eye outside his school.

Luke Dacey, 16, was setting off home from Prism Independent School when a thug shot him with a form of air pistol.

He said the shooter told him, “Don’t cry”, before discharging the gun at close range into his open eye.

The attacker then fled and Luke managed to get back into the school, where teachers came to his aid and drove him to hospital.

His mum, Tracey Hearsom, praised school staff Mike Forth and Paul Corfield for helping her son.

But she said he was having to go for more hospital tests to see if there was any lasting damage to his eye.

She said yesterday: “It has left him with pretty bad damage to his eye. His eyesight is blurred and he is in a lot of pain.”

Miss Hearsom called for ball bearing guns to be banned from shops.

She said: “You just don’t realise how much damage they actually cause people.”

The attack happened shortly after 2.30pm on Monday outside the charitable-run school at City Farm in Walker Drive, Girlington.

Executive head teacher Paul Craven said soon after leaving for the day, Luke had run back in the school gates with an eye injury.

He said: “He came back very upset. Our staff immediately took him to the hospital, stayed with him and contacted his mum.”

Mr Craven said his injury could have been a lot worse.

He said: “All the staff are a bit upset about it. We are thankful it’s not as serious as it could have been.”

Mr Craven said Luke was one of the school’s best pupils.

He said: “Luke has been with us some considerable time now and he has made fantastic progress, he really has. He is one of our success stories.

“We are pleased that his mum is supporting us and supporting the work we do with Luke, because the progress he has made is terrific. We will all welcome him back when he is feeling better and able.”

Luke, of Ravenscliffe, is now recovering from his ordeal at home.

A police spokesman appealed for witnesses to the shooting.

He said: “A teenage male made away from the scene at the time of the incident and is described as white, wearing a red hat and a blue coat.

“Officers are following positive lines of enquiry in relation to the individual responsible and investigations remain ongoing.”

Witnesses should contact Bradford South Police via 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.