05 December 2008

Anonymity orders? Who knew?

Rico says leave it to the Brits, as the BBC points out in an on-line article:
Nine schoolboys have been convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl. The gang snatched her from the street and took her to a stairwell in a block of flats in Hackney, east London, in April of last year, the court heard. She was told she should be raped for insulting their leader's girlfriend, and they laughed as they took turns. Six boys were found guilty of rape, kidnap, and false imprisonment. Three others admitted the same charges. All will be sentenced on Monday.
Legal anonymity was lifted by Snaresbrook Crown Court on seven of the nine. O'Neil Denton, 16, Weiled Ibraham, 17, and Yusuf Raymond, 16, admitted the offences. The others before the court - Jayden Ryan, 16, Alexander Vanderpuije, 15, Jack Bartle, 16, Cleon Brown, 15, and two aged 14 and 16 who still cannot be named - were convicted by a jury of the same charges.
Nicola Merrick, prosecuting, said the girl's ordeal began when some of her attackers - aged as young as 13 at the time - snatched her from the street. She said although she was "too afraid" to call for help, her obvious plight was ignored by passers-by.
Ms. Merrick said other boys were phoned to join in and they were laughing and shouting encouragement to each other as the girl was raped. The victim was so traumatised she later attempted suicide, the prosecution said. Applying for anonymity orders to be lifted, Miss Merrick said it was "in the public interest" that the defendants should be named. "Those young people who become members of gangs, should know the outcome of this trial, that they will not mete out punishments as a gang with impunity and not ultimately retain their anonymity."
Rico says it's something we should try here, with our underage punks...

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