Teens who made victims kiss their feet sentenced

Two teenage girls who attacked multiple people at a school, college and railway station and recorded the attacks on their phone have avoided being locked up.

The 14 and 13-year-olds, who cannot be named due to their age, kicked their victims in the head, forced them to kiss their feet and blackmailed them.

The teens, both from Bridgend, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two of common assault and one of blackmail.

The eldest girl was given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order, while the younger one was handed a 12-month referral order by the youth court at Cardiff Magistrates' Court.

The teenagers assaulted four different victims in four separate incidents between 2 and 4 March at Brynteg Comprehensive School, Bridgend College, Pyle Railway Station and another location in Bridgend.

The court heard that one of their victims was pushed to the floor and kicked "multiple times", including in the head.

In another incident, the two girls told their victim to kiss their shoes or they would be beaten up - they filmed this on a phone and told the victim to pay them £60 or they would share the video.

The court was shown mobile phone footage of three separate attacks, including one of them forcing someone to kiss their feet before repeatedly hitting her in the head.

Another showed a victim being assaulted in a school corridor, kicked and punched repeatedly.

The court heard statements from all four victims, as well as some of their parents.

One victim said she felt "scared and worried" about encountering the two girls again while another said she had self-harmed when details of the attack on her had been shared.

One parent said her daughter "doesn't feel safe anywhere anymore" while another was suffering panic attacks.

The court heard both the school and college had put new security measures in place since the assaults.

Daniel Maggs, defending the 14-year-old, said she had "reflected very seriously on her actions".

Michael Hall, defending the 13-year-old, said his client's behaviour had been "abysmal", but she had been influenced "by the wrong people".

Magistrates chairwoman Jane Anning said the "assaults and humiliation... clearly indicate prison" but they opted for the "one direct alternative" of an 18-month youth rehabilitation order with intensive supervision and surveillance.

Additionally, a curfew was imposed on the 14-year-old between 21:00 BST and 07:00.

Ms Anning told the 13-year-old she was being given "every possible chance to put your life on a better path".

Both teens were given restraining orders against all four victims for four years and ordered to pay £60 to each of their four victims.