Attack victim ‘kicked in head like a football’
Two teenagers who were partofagroupthatlaunched an assault on a man in a Sunderland bus station have walked free from court.
Martin Brown and Bobbi Surtees were part of a gang who attacked the man in Park Lane bus station.
The victim lost a tooth and sustained bruising on his head and torso after the group of youths directed racist abuse at him.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how a witness said they saw Surtees, then 17, kick the victim in the head “like a football” whilst he lay on the ground.
Brown, then 16, pleaded guilty to common assault and Surtees pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm.
The court heard the Crown Prosecution Service were satisfied that although the attack was racially aggravated, it could not be said that the two defendants took part in the racial abuse.
Prosecutor Graham O’Sullivan told the court how the victim was “in fear of his life” during the assault. He said: “He (the victim) was walking across the station foyer when he was subjected to racial abuse.
“The crown acknowledges that there were between six and 10 people involved in the unsavoury incident.
“He was pulled to the ground. He was then punched and kicked repeatedly in the head. He was in fear of his life.”
The court heard how the injured man managed to “hurry away” from the group and call the police.
Surtees, now 19, gave them Brown’s name after she was arrested at the scene and interviewed by police. Brown, now 18, was later arrested.
He immediately admitted his involvement in the attack on September 21, 2015.
The court heard how due to the lack of CCTV in the station, no other members of the group have been caught. Jess Slaughter, de- fending Surtees, told the court how she had suffered from a number of mental health and anxiety issues.
Joe Hedworth, defending Brown, told the court: “He did not do any of the serious offending and he has not been in any trouble since.”
Judge Edward Bindloss told the pair: “Most people would go straight to prison for that, but I have to take into account that you were 16 and 17 at the time.”
Surtees, of Ramillies Square, Sunderland, was sentenced to a 18-month community order with a 30day rehabilitation requirement. She must also pay a £15 victim surcharge.
Brown, of Fordham Road, Sunderland, was handed a six-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay a £10 victim surcharge.