Posted on 06/22/2005 9:55:59 AM PDT by ambrose
Mon 20 Jun 2005
'Happy Slap' Teenager Not to Face Charges
By Pat Hurst and Hugo Duncan, PA
A teenager who left a schoolgirl battered and unconscious in a “happy slap” attack will not face charges, it was revealed today.
The youngster attacked Becky Smith, 16, so friends could film the assault for fun on their mobile phones in a youth craze known as “happy slapping”.
But the police have decided Becky’s attacker should only receive a caution for the assault.
Becky was left with a black eye, bruises and cuts in a “sick” attack launched by a fellow school pupil in Blackley, Manchester.
She was jumped from behind by the youngster, also 16, knocked to the ground and spent two days in hospital.
A gang of five boys filmed the attack and the video clip was passed around school via mobile phones, and was shown to Becky’s brother Craig, 13.
The victim’s mother, Georgina Smith, 39, described the incident as “sickening” and said her daughter had been left terrified and did not want to go back to school because other pupils had watched the video of the attack.
Becky, who is taking her GCSEs at Plant Hill High School in Blackley, was attacked on May 9, and spent two days at North Manchester General Hospital before going home.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said a 16-year-old girl was due to answer to bail tomorrow and it was “very likely” she would receive a caution over the incident.
The attack on Becky was the latest in a string of violent “happy slapping” incidents – including the alleged rape of an 11-year-old girl.
It involves children attacking other youngsters or random passers-by and recording the attacks on their mobiles.
Videos of the “slaps” are then exchanged between phones and posted on the Internet as a joke.
Last month, two 18-year-olds were jailed for six-and-half years each after setting fire to a stranger and filming the attack on a phone.
Victim Matthew Kitchen, 41, had fallen asleep in a bus shelter in Bury, Greater Manchester, when Benjamin Mortenson and David Smolinski set him alight. Mr Kitchen nearly died.
The video footage was shown at Bolton Crown Court, and features the pair shouting: “This is the funniest thing I have ever seen ... We’re gonna kill him ... He’s on fire.”
Don't mind me. At first the text didn't appear so I re-sent it to the list. Now it appears. Strange days!
Ryukyu Kempo is led by George Dillman and involves a lot of "pressure-point" techinques.
You have your work cut out for you!
I had the same problem, sort of. I was already a Green Belt in Kung-Fu and they made me start again at white for kempo. Humbling.
Shotokan, huh? Japanese, isn't it? How did you like it?
It's the deciding to start over again that's really rough.
She has the right (and obligation) to be a victim.
Have you been around kids lately? Pretty much ALL kids have cell phones, regardless of socio-economic status.
I started taking Ryuyko Kempo about 2 years ago because my daughter wanted to get into it. At the same time I started taking Kick-Boxing.
I took some time off from Kempo to look into Krav Maga and attained my first rank (yellow).
Meanwhile the Ryuyko studio bit the dust.
Last year I had a severe leg injury and had to wear a steel brace for many months. I am currently at about 85% recovery and will jump back into Krav Maga as soon as I feel confident. I practice at home but still feel self-conscious about going to the school.
BTW, My daughter (11 years old) is now a Purple Belt and won a gold medal for sparring and Kata! I am looking for a school she can join since the other one is now gone.
It is to your credit that you did go back and you did succeed in getting that first black belt!
No, no, I'm trying for my first level black in November. I won high brown last August.
This thread has been officially hijaaked by Thai-Kwon-Leepers. Boot to the head!
Not really. The nitwits would talk about "wild west mentality" and "excessive force." It would be more ammo for the gun grabbers.
I'd rather them try their game on one of the martial artists above.
What is Krav Magna like? I've heard that its pretty brutal...
"It involves children attacking other youngsters or random passers-by and recording the attacks on their mobiles."
Reminds me of a pack of wild hyenas. And these monsters only get a slap on the wrist. Knowing these teens, they'll keep on attacking. The judicial system needs to understand that they've got to come down hard on these kids. Give a teen an inch and he/she will take a mile.
HA! Try getting a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 10 to 15 years of consistent training, on average. (I'm just giving you a good natured ribbing - I respect the traditional arts as well. :) )
afterall, isn't that what some want?....for the terrible schools to stop sissifying our boys...
/sarcasm/
Krav maga is GREAT!!!
It's more "real world". It's not a tough martial art to learn, no Katas or stances, but it is incredibly effective and physically demanding. I learned as much in the first few months as I did in about a year of traditional karate. If anyone is a beginner and wants to learn self-defense fast, I HIGHLY recommend it.
I used to carry one of those derringers, although mine had shorter barrels. I carried a .45 long colt in the upper barrel, and a #4 .410 in the lower. The long colt hit the target sideways 9 times out of 10. It was a handful to shoot, but I really, really, would not want to be in front if it when it went off!
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