Man attacks child over Call of Duty

By Ryan Fleming September 30, 2011

During a particularly heated round of Call of Duty online, 46-year old Plymouth, England resident Mark Bradford snapped. After facing repeated taunts, name calling and defeat at the hands of a 13-year old, Bradford decided changing classes in the game or altering his tactics just wasn’t going to be enough. So without a word, Bradford silently rose, made his way to the house where the boy was playing, and proceeded to choke him.

The boy’s 33-year old mother was there, and managed to pull Bradford off, leaving the boy with a few scratches and a red neck, but otherwise unharmed. Bradford then silently left and returned home, where he was soon arrested.

“It’s pathetic that a grown man would attack a defenseless child like this,” she the boy’s mother said.

The attack came after the two had been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops. After killing him in the game, the boy then proceeded to call the 46-year old names which caused the man to “just lose it.” The two were acquainted through the boy’s parents, and Bradford knew that he was playing at a nearby friend’s house.

Bradford, who his lawyers say has suffered from mental health issues, pled guilty to one count of assault by beating.

“I’d been playing the whole day and he was baiting me and baiting me and just would not shut up,” Bradford told the courts, according to the UK newspaper The Daily Mail.

“He went on and on and I just lost it. I hold my hands up, I lost the plot. In a moment of madness I went round to his house. I didn’t know what I was going to do. It wasn’t malice. I just grabbed him. I’ve seen him since and apologized. We’ve played online too. He’s actually a decent kid.”

The boy, who legally cannot be identified, recounted the attack, “I was just sat playing. We’d had a bit of a joke and then he stormed in and grabbed me. I didn’t know what was going on.”

The courts will review Bradford’s mental health history before passing sentencing on October 24.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

How to play split screen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Soldiers battle in an abandoned airport.

If you're excited at the prospect of playing split screen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, we've got good news: You can! Even better news is that it's a straightforward and easy task to accomplish. All you'll need to ensure is that you have two controllers and that both usernames have been linked to their own Activision accounts. Once you've scored both controllers and gotten your accounts squared away, though, you'll only need to follow a few simple steps to start playing together.

Gaming

How to get two primary weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Soldiers battle in an abandoned airport.

Building your loadout in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the same as crafting your build in an RPG. Which weapons and perks you take can completely change how you play and what role you should take in any given match. Typically, you are restricted to equipping a primary and secondary weapon, but previous titles included a perk that allowed you to double up on primary weapons to essentially play double duty. That perk, Overkill, isn't in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, so you will need to look for a different solution to get two primary weapons this time around.
How to equip two primary weapons

Instead of the Overkill perk giving you space to carry two primary weapons, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 introduces the Gunner Vest. This is a piece of gear rather than a perk, and can be unlocked when you hit level 20, or you can use the Overkill vest when you hit level 50. The Gunner vest lets you start with more ammo, reload faster, and, most importantly, equip two primary weapons.

Gaming

How to access the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 beta

A soldier aims their pistol at an enemy at night.

It's been almost a year since last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released, which means it's time for the next installment in the annual shooter franchise. This time we're completing the trilogy (again) with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This entry has already generated a lot of hype among fans of the franchise for the inclusion, and return, of some highly requested features such as the mini-map and Zombies mode.

Sticking to the usual late-fall release schedule, Modern Warfare 3 will officially launch on November 10 of this year, but that doesn't mean you have to wait until then to get a taste of what's to come. If you play your cards right, you can get in on the beta to sharpen your skills before the competition.
How to access the Modern Warfare 3 beta