A second Newton Abbot schoolgirl is recovering after a horrific so-called 'happy slapping' incident.
The teenager had clumps of hair torn out in a vicious attack by up to ten girls from the same school, while others filmed it on their mobile phones to send to their friends to watch. The attack took place in Broadlands Road, Newton Abbot, at about 3.30pm on Thursday last week. This is the second incident in the town in as many weeks. On April 17, another teenager was set upon in Fisher Road by two girls, while others filmed it on their mobiles.
Two girls have been arrested. A 15-year-old was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. Her case has already been heard and she is due to be sentenced on May 23 by South Devon Youth Court at Newton Abbot. A 16-year-old from Kingsteignton was charged with common assault.
A police spokesman said: 'We didn't have enough evidence to charge the 16-year-old with ABH. She was, therefore, considered for common assault and through the Criminal Justice System our only option was to give her a final warning.'
The attacks have been condemned by Richard Haigh, head of Coombeshead College, Newton Abbot. He said both Coombeshead and Knowles Hill School, Newton Abbot, were doing all they could to help police.
'This seems to be something rooted in the community which involved students from both schools,' he said. 'Girls can be as aggressive as boys. This thing with mobile phones seems to be have been around nationally and is something young people do.
'Some young people's experience of relatively disturbed and poor parenting puts them in a position where they haven't learnt wrong from right. Their lives are so shallow and bleak that something like this gives them some excitement and that is really sad. Fortunately in south Devon this kind of incident is relatively rare.
'Dr Pope [head of Knowles Hill] and I absolutely condemn this type of behaviour and we are doing all we can to help the police find the criminals so they can be dealt with with as much severity as the law allows.'