Sick yobs filmed brutal attack on schoolgirl

Mansfield Magistrates’ Court was told on Tuesday, 3rd June that the girl was repeatedly beaten, kicked and punched for more than 90 minutes by a single attacker, who also stamped on her head.

The victim, who was 15 at the time of the attack and cannot be named for legal reasons, was at home when she was contacted by a ‘friend’ on Sunday 6th April, asking her if she wanted to meet up with a number of youths.

But when she arrived in the vicinity of the Kingsway Community Project, in Clipstone Road West, she was accosted by another 15-year-old who accused her of making remarks about a relative.

The court heard that the victim was initially punched in the face, before her attacker grabbed her and pushed her to the floor, then kicked her three times to the head, while the assault was filmed on mobile phones.

The girl was then ordered to her feet where she was assaulted again, and when she tried to make her escape she was again pushed to the ground where her attacker stamped on her head.

She then ran away onto Clipstone Road West where she was pursued by the gang, and the same attacker once again hit her in the face.

When police arrived, the victim, who is now 16, was told to say that everything was fine, and her attacker then took her to nearby toilets and helped to clean her up.

The attack, which was caught on CCTV, was so savage that Chad asked the court to lift reporting restrictions which prevent the identification of young people appearing in court.

But District Judge Diane Baker refused the application because she said the defendant did not have previous convictions for violence and posed no threat to local residents.

She also refused an application by Chad to allow the victim to be named, after we were contacted by her family wanting to tell their story.

The attacker was charged with causing actual bodily harm which she admitted at an earlier hearing, the court heard.

But she only accepted stamping on the girl’s head when District Judge Baker told her she intended to view the CCTV footage for herself, the court heard.

The victim was left with cuts and bruises to her face and head and grazes to her knees and elbows, the court heard.

Her family also told the court that she was suffering emotionally following the attack, was struggling with her GCSE exams and had symptoms of anxiety.

“You are only 15 years old and yet I am dealing with you today on a very serious charge, and if you were 18 I would be sending this case to the crown court because you would deserve more than six months in custody,” District Judge Baker told the youth.

“This was an unprovoked, sustained and violent assault on a 15-year-old girl who thought you were her friend.

“You followed her and got her to the ground and then you stamped on her head - you could have killed her - and she has been left with physical injuries and emotional injuries as well.

“I’m told you are remorseful and I think you are very frightened of the power that I have here today. But the law says that I must take your age into consideration when passing sentence.”

Defending, Treve Lander told the court that the defendant had herself been bullied at school, and had been assaulted by two adults on May 16th in an unrelated attack. He also said that the defendant planned to admit the stamp before the CCTV evidence was presented to the court.

The defendant was spared custody but given a 12-month referral order and told she must complete education sessions covering peer pressure, anger management and thinking skills.

She must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work and will be assessed by mental health professionals.

Her parents were ordered to pay £500 in compensation to the victim.

“My first view was that you should go straight to custody,” District Judge Baker added.

“You are going to complete each and every one of these programmes with the Youth Offending Team, and if you breach the order in any way you are coming back in front of me and I am sending you to custody for six months.”

No charges were heard against any of the other young people involved in the incident.