Teenager who attacked date gets five years in jail

A 17-YEAR-OLD from Loughborough has been jailed for violently attacking a woman he met online.

The youth was sentenced to five years at Leicester Crown Court on Friday (October 25).

The youth was first in contact with the victim – a 19-year-old from Peterborough – via Snapchat. On 25 August this year, she travelled to Loughborough to meet him for the first time.

They visited the town centre, where the youth began drinking alcohol. However the victim only had soft drinks. They then went to his flat, where he continued drinking but she did not.

While there, the youth asked the victim to wait outside his flat. When she went back inside, she found her mobile phone was wet. He tried to convince her someone had attempted to flush it down the toilet – but she knew this not to be true and became upset.

The youth then began punching her before attacking her with a baseball bat. When she tried to leave, he threatened her and pinned her to the floor, hitting her with a vacuum cleaner pipe and pots and pans from the kitchen.

Eventually, the victim was able to escape the flat and was found by a neighbour, who called an ambulance. Police were then called to the flat and the youth was arrested.

On September 3, the youth pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent at Leicester Magistrates’ Court.

He has also been given a restraining order, forbidding him from contacting the victim.

Detective Constable Katie Smith, from Leicestershire Police’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit (DAIU), was the investigating officer. She said: “This horrific, violent attack was completely unprovoked.

“The victim travelled from Peterborough to meet the youth after they were in contact on Snapchat.

“They’d been in contact for some weeks and she met him in the belief that there might have been a relationship blossoming.

“When the youth damaged her mobile phone, she became upset and he became violent. I cannot begin to imagine how terrifying this must have been. I must praise the victim in this case for her bravery in providing a detailed account that has helped in bringing him to justice.

“I hope this case can act as a stark warning that you never know who is hiding behind an online profile. While many people use social media apps to make friends or even date, I would ask everyone using such platforms to ensure they stay safe online.”