News
Teenage attacker who caused baby to be thrown in street avoids jail
(April 02, 2011)A 15-year-old girl who caused a baby to be thrown into a bus lane when she launched a racial attack on his family has avoided jail because of her age.
The girl, whose identity is protected by law, was instead ordered to attend a year of anger management and “victim empathy” sessions to help her understand the consequences of her actions.
Those consequences included the traumatised family relocating to Mauritius to escape the devastation the attack had caused on their lives, Croydon Youth Court heard yesterday.
The girl had previously been found guilty of causing actual bodily harm to the seven-month old baby, after magistrates decided her reckless assault caused him to be flung from his sister’s grasp into a bus lane near West Croydon station.
She and a friend, also 15, had already subjected a 13-year-old girl in the family to shouts of “Paki” in Primark, North End before assaulting her and her mother in the street last July.
The court heard during the trial the girl had previously been bullied at school by one of the attackers over her vitiligo, a condition that affects the pigment of her skin.
After being told to leave by security both girls followed the family down the street, pausing to buy milkshakes from KFC before crossing the road and launching a vicious attack.
They were found guilty of racially aggravated harassment and two counts of common assault on two members of the family.
The first attacker was also found guilty of actual bodily harm on the baby, and was initially warned she could face time in a detention centre due to the seriousness of the crime.
But during today’s sentencing lead magistrate Nicky Ottaway said jail was not an option because the attacker was just 14 at the time of the incident.
She said: “Even though you realised what could have happened you didn’t stop.
“You shoved (the sister) so hard that the baby fell out of her arms.
“Therefore you are responsible, but you were reckless and it was not intentional.”
She was ordered to pay £20 to the baby to compensate the injuries he suffered, which included a four-inch bruise and bite marks on his lips as a result of the fall.
Another £20 was ordered to be paid to the girl who was holding him, and £10 to the mother to make up for the trauma they had suffered.
The court ordered her to take part in a 12 month youth rehabilitation scheme, which includes regular supervision sessions from youth workers and a requirement to perform 24 hours of help in the community.
She will also have to take part in victim empathy group sessions and will be assessed about her need for anger management sessions.
The second girl was told to pay £20 to the 13-year-old victim and £10 to the mother, with her father telling the court it would be coming out of her pocket money.
She was also handed a nine month youth rehabilitation order and ordered to perform 18 hours of help in the community.