'Worrying' note left near Gornal pub sparks concern among parents
A note claiming to have been written by a famous 'YouTuber' has sparked worry among Gornal parents.
The note, which was found on the wall of The Red Lion pub, says it was written by YouTuber Lexi Rivera, who has 14.4 million subscribers and makes content that appeals to children and young teenagers – some of her videos include "100 myths your parents lied to you about" and "pranking my crush for a week".
Another note, which said the same thing, was seen stuck to the wall near the entrance to the pub.
Written on a Boyle Sports betting slip, the note tells "everyone who watches YouTube" to meet 'her' at the church opposite the pub at a certain date and time for "autographs".
The note reads: "Hi everyone who watches YT I'm Lexi Rievera (sic) and I flew to England meet me at the church across the road for autographs."
Concerned parent Karina Boyden raised the alarm. She said: "Please be careful and ensure your kids know not to go if they see one of these or anything similar.
"Police have already been contacted – anything else similar also needs to be reported."
She is worried there are more notes lying around.
"This may be nothing, but I see it as concerning," she said.
"There may be more left around, if any kids see this and think a famous YouTuber is "coming to Gornal" when she clearly isn't (as the name is spelt wrong!!)
"Weirdly, it looks like a target to get kids to get to a meeting point. Especially at the church when it’s obviously going to get busy after school time?? Dodgy to me.
"We're hoping it's something innocent, but it was stuck to the wall by the entrance too?
"And if anyone has wrote this, Why are you that weird to think this would be okay?"
The note has caused worry among some parents, who are concerned that the note will "lure" a child into danger.
One parents, named Katie Garratt, said it was "worrying".
"That's proper weird. My nine-year-old loves Lexi Riviera so that's a worrying one," she wrote on Facebook.
Another parent named Zoe Hanson wrote: "Playing devils advocate here but to me, it looks like its been written by a child... possibly what they think is a harmless prank?
"Is there no CCTV that can be checked before everyone goes all guns blazing with bats?
"Surely if it was an adult with bad intentions they would lure a kid to a quieter spot than the church?"
An officer at West Midlands Police said: "We received a report that a note supposedly written by a YouTuber encouraging people to meet them for autographs was left at a pub in Lower Gornal on Monday, October 9.
"We have spoken to the caller who made the report and have taken a photo of the note. We do not believe the note to be authentic but we are aware of its contents, which the caller has shared with the local community for awareness."
