Kids endure ‘horrendous’ Upminster paintball game, mum says

A mother has hit out at an Upminster paintball venue after a “horrendous” experience in which she claimed her 10-year-old daughter was shot in the back at point blank range by an adult.

Kelly Pullen, who brought daughter Milly, 10, and son Olly, eight, to Delta Force Paintball East London in Upminster on July 29, said her children were shot at outside of game time and suffered bruising while management allegedly looked on.

She said her children and two others, also 10 and eight, were gifted a paintball voucher for the Aveley Road facility, but their party was put up against a team that included adults in their forties.

After the first game finished, an adult shot Milly in the back causing her to suffer a bruise, Kelly said.

“It was intimidating and horrendous,” she said. “My daughter came back to me visibly upset and said the game had finished, yet an adult from the other team […] touched her back with the gun and shot her.”

A bruise suffered by Milly, 10, after an adult allegedly shot her in the back from point blank range (Image: Kelly Pullen)

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Kelly claimed eight-year-old Olly was targeted and continually shot at, even when the second game was paused to swap areas, forcing her to jump in to protect him with goggles her only protective gear.

“[He] was so scared he crouched into a ball and sobbed,” she added.

Kelly said two staff members apologised after Olly was hit multiple times in the head, causing him to bleed, but she claimed no first aid was given.

Circumstances improved when their team was moved to a separate area for the third and final game to play against other children, but Kelly said this should have happened from the start.

But the trouble did not end there and the rival group came over to shout at Kelly, she claimed.

Kelly, who has lived in Thurrock for 15 years, said she filed a police report and a crime reference number had been provided.

She claimed that nothing was done to protect her children, despite a waiver participants signed to agree not to shoot within three metres of another.

“What kind of adult does that to an 8-year-old?” Kelly said.

Delta Force, which has paintball centres across the world, was approached for comment.