Teenage girl gang filmed attacking train staff and police walk free from court

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ 20:35 19 Dec 2024, updated 21:41 19 Dec 2024

A teenage girl gang who went viral on social media after they were filmed attacking train staff, passengers and police officers in an alcohol-fuelled rampage have been spared jail.

The five girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, threw punches, headbutts and ripped out hair in an incident described as 'mass hysteria'.

One girl held up a clump of hair from the head of a rail passenger like a trophy during the hour-long melee, a court heard.

A judge said videos of the incident showed the girls were relentless, completely out of control and showing an ongoing determination to wreak havoc.

'It was chaos, mayhem, bedlam,' District Judge Teresa Szagun said.

The youngest was only 13 when a fight started at Barnham railway station in West Sussex between the group and another young girl.

Members of the public, train staff and police who tried to intervene were attacked by the girls.

Local residents claimed the usually quiet village of Barnham was being held hostage by feral youth after footage of the girl gang was widely shared on social media.

All five admitted affray and assaults on train staff, police and members of the public.

Two women were thrown about by the girls before police were kicked and head butted as they tried to arrest them.

A train safety officer needed hospital treatment after he was smashed in the face with his own radio.

Judge Szagun told all five girls they would have been jailed if they had been old enough.

The attacks were completely out of character for the girls, the court heard.

One of the group had been head girl at her school and was described as an exemplary student.

Others were described as bright, capable and intelligent.

The court heard one of the girls held up a clump of hair like a trophy and laughed, Brighton Magistrates Court heard.

She told the girl, now aged 17: 'You were involved from start to finish for over an hour.

'You were seen to kick another girl over and over again while she was on the ground.

'Your aggression then turned towards the innocent bystander who was trying to stop this.

'Your reaction to realising you had a clump of her hair in your hand is horrific, it is almost as if you are holding it up as a trophy and laughing.

'This spurred you on to further violence, there was an ongoing determination to wreak havoc.'

The judge told another 16-year-old member of the group: 'Your behaviour was really aggressive.

'You were intimidating, squaring up to the officers.

'You were prepared to be pummelling an officer in the back of the head.

'Another officer is taking off his vest when you take the opportunity to have a swing at him, as well as swinging at another officer when he thinks you've calmed down.

'He was taken unawares.'

She told another girl: 'You were completely out of control and relentless.

'If you were adults, I would be sentencing you to custody.'

The court heard it was clear all five were very drunk. Other passengers in a waiting room, who were concerned for their welfare, tried to give them water.

Fighting started after a confrontation with another girl and escalated quickly.

The judge told another girl: 'You just kept going.

'I don't think any compensation is going to make any impact on the individuals who must have been so frightened.

Two men needed hospital treatment and one victim had a substantial amount of hair pulled form her head.

Viral video of the incident, which occurred on Easter Saturday, March 30 and clips of shoplifting in Barnham led to police applying for dispersal orders.

Local shopkeepers hired private security and locals held a public meeting to demand action.

All five girls had been drinking before launching a violent attack on another girl in the waiting room at Barnham station.

None of the girls, two aged 15, two 16 and a 13-year-old at the time, can be named for legal reasons.

Defending one of the girls, Paula Bristow described the incident as having an element of mass hysteria.

'She is doing well at school and this was completely out of character.

'There is an element of mass hysteria in this incident.'

The three youngest girls were given nine-month referral orders.

The two older girls were given 12-month intensive referral orders.

Compensation will be paid to the woman who lost a clump of hair, her mother who she was travelling with and another police officer who also had her hair pulled out.