Sophie - More reports

The Verdict coincided with a detailed report on Teen drinking.

Toll of teenage drinking revealed BBC News

Teenagers are drinking an average of 44 bottles of wine or 177 pints of beer a year each, a study suggests.

Almost 10,000 15-to-16-year-olds in the North West of England were questioned as part of the study into underage drinking and violence.

The report, produced by Liverpool John Moores University, found as many as 40% of teenagers in poor areas binge drink.

Recent high-profile murders in the region were carried out by teenagers who had been drinking heavily.

On Thursday, Brendan Harris, 15, was convicted of murdering 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster in a Lancashire park after drinking two litres of cider, peach schnapps and lager.

For Sophie's sake, Can It
Mirror.co.uk,

One thing is certain drink played a role in the crime. It fuelled the development of an underlying hostility into extreme violence.

Interesting to note while the "chav" word is absent from most coverage while it is ominpresent in internet discussions. In Glasgow however the Ned word is used more readily.

Drunken neds killed woman because she was a goth
Glasgow Daily Record,

We must remmber of course is that while some of the "chav" teenagers attacked others in the exactly the same group called the emergency services and tried to save Sophie's life. It is not "chavs" as a whole who are to blame but a violent minority within that group. Hating all "chavs" shows a level of intolerance which is no better than he hate they show.

One of the more interesting online discussions:

Drowned in Sound - Features - The Weekly DiScussion: wearing your ...

Remembering Sophie Lancaster - The Campaign

Sophie - The Verdict - Guilty

Sophie Lancaster was so badly injured that paramedics had difficulty telling what sex she was
Loads of coverage to examine it was reported in depth in all major papers and news channels here so here are the high points:

Major articles include:

The haunting last picture of the battered face of Sophie Lancaster ...
Daily Mail,

Photo of Sophie in hospital is front page on the Sun today.
Battered ... Sophie Lancaster lies in a coma after being beaten by ...
The Sun,

Teenager guilty of goth murder
The Independent

Police slam defendants' parents
Lancashire Evening Telegraph,

Very sad interview with Robert:
Sophie's boyfriend: I wish gang had killed me instead
Lancashire Evening Telegraph,
Anger of park attack survivor
BBC News,

Killer posed with baseball bat
Manchester Evening News,

Interview with Sophie's mum.
Sophie's mum begs for 'respect'
Manchester Evening News,

A few articles focus on the goth connection:

Sophie's brutal murder unites Goths against 'hate crime'
24dash, UK

This important BBC interview with Ade Varney focuses in the hate crimes petition which has gained over 1000 signatures in the last day.
The darker side of life as a Goth
BBC News

The Verdict of the trial has gone onto international news wires like Reuters and has been reported in New Zealand on TV, and in Austria with more to come.

Anti- Emo violence spreads to Chile

More coverage of this major problem.

Emo kids attacked in Mexico and Chile
NME.com, UK -

Pokemon are not the same as emo from what I make out. Similar but not identical.

Mexico's Emo-Bashing Problem
TIME -

Daniel Hernandez's blog, Intersections, which has extensively covered the incidents:

The spark came first in Queretaro on March 7. An estimated 800 young people poured into the city's Centro Historico hunting for emos to beat the crap out of. They found some. The next weekend it spread to Mexico City, where emos faced off against punks and rockabillies at the Glorieta de Insurgents, the epicenter of emo social space in the capital. There's also been reports of anti-emo violence in Durango, Colima, and elsewhere...

Risky to be an Emo?

Usual stereotypes apply in this article which reports the authorities being plain stupid. Of course the real risk in being an Emo is going to Mexico or facing a barrag of misunderstanding and lies.

The Macon County Board of Education voted at Monday's meeting at Highlands School to present a "risky behaviors" program to all of the county's students in grades five and above.

The vote followed a presentation by Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland, who showed the board and audience members a revised version of the program that was presented at Franklin High School several weeks ago. The presentation was created following the Feb. 25 death of Macon Middle School student Sarah Beck. Beck died from what is known as the "choking game," which also claimed the life of a Jackson County teen five months ago.

"We should have taken notice five months ago, and we didn't," Holland said.

The presentation will be shown to fifth graders as part of the DARE program, and it will be available by appointment for upper grades from the sheriff's office. The presentation is about 45 minutes long, and it includes information on the choking game as well as inhalants, misuse of over-the-counter drugs and the EMO culture, also known as goth, in which participants are encouraged to cut themselves.

Board OKs program on risky behavior
Franklin Press, NC 25 Mar 2008

Sophie Trial - Accused denies attacking Sophie

Witnesses praised for helping Sophie
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 26 Mar 2008

BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Boy blamed over fatal park attack: "March 25th"

Sophie murder accused: I threw the first punch
This Is Lancashire, UK - 21 hours ago
By Camilla Sutcliffe THE teenager accused of murdering Sophie Lancaster admitted throwing the first punch at her boyfriend, but claimed he took no further ...

Teen 'volley-kicked' Sophie
Manchester Evening News, UK - 20 hours ago
A 15-year-old boy told a jury that he did not murder `Goth' girl Sophie Lancaster in a park. But he admitted punching her boyfriend, Manchester art student .

Mosher attacked in Rochdale

The Sophie campaign has highlighted a new attack:

"John was attacked last week and I warn you this is very disturbing

his friend has been in touch to say he was attacked for being a "Mosher" and wants to work with us on the S.O.P.H.I.E. CAMPAIGN

we send him our very best wishes for a speedy recovery

please sign the

Hate Crime Extension Bill

on our site, remember there is only 3 more days

please pass this on, we have to MAKE A NOISE ."

Gang laughed as they kicked me ... I could have died'
Rochdale Observer 22/ 3/2008

A GANG of thugs laughed as they kicked, stamped and jumped on a man’s head as he walked home from a party.

John Owen said he pleaded with the gang to stop but they continued their relentless assault, beating him unconscious before leaving him on a grass verge.

Emos under attack in Mexico - rumours of cruxifiction

Sounds like there are some serious problems in Mexico:

Emos under attack
Austin American-Statesman, TX 20 Mar 2008

In the last couple of weeks, a particular subculture of Mexican youths, who dub themselves “emos,” have come under violent attack throughout the country. Two weeks ago in the otherwise quiet colonial capital of Queretaro, mobs of kids attacked the emos in an attempt to force them out of the city’s main plaza. A week later, the violence arrived in Mexico City, when emos who hang out at the Insurgentes Metro stop were attacked by gangs of punks and soccer fans. Rumors of more attacks in Mexico City and the northern state of Durango are floating around the Internet.

So who are these emos, and why so much hate? Emos here in Mexico are bound by a specific fashion style (black clothes, tight jeans, huge bangs, black eye makeup) and ideology: according to several Internet sources, a strong chord of sadness, depression and sense of being misunderstood by the larger society runs through emo thought. Bands like Good Charlotte are emo favorites. And self mutilation is apparently common among kids heavily into the emo scene.

Anger against the emos has come from many quarters: punks and goths who think emos are ripping off their culture, homophobes who don’t find emos masculine enough, and those who simply seem threatened by a group that is so different than the mainstream.

In Mexico, attacks on ‘emo’ teens raise tolerance concerns
Sierra Vista Herald, AZ March 23rd

Published on Sunday, March 23, 2008

MEXICO CITY — Ever since he first discovered “emo” music five years ago, 17-year-old Emmanuel Huerta has been making regular two-hour trips from his home in the sprawling suburbs outside Mexico City to the capital’s Glorieta Insurgentes, a concrete plaza and transportation hub on the southern fringe of the free-thinking Zona Rosa neighborhood.

There, he hangs out with other teens who dress in black, peg their jeans tightly to their legs, comb their bangs down over their eyes and listen to emo-core, an offshoot of punk rock that emphasizes powerful emotions like love, rejection and depression rather than punk’s traditional expressions of political and social discontent.

Emmanuel Huerta, right, stands with his friends Antonio Garcia, center, and Oscar Medina at the Glorieta Insurgentes, a popular meeting place for “emo” teens, on Friday. (Jonathan Clark-Special to the Herald/Review)

“We share our feelings, talk about bands we like, and just hang out together and have fun, like any other kids,” Huerta said of his days at the plaza.

But lately, life at Glorieta Insurgentes hasn’t been so much fun for the “emos,” as Huerta and his friends are called. Other teens have been posting messages to Internet blogs that ridicule the emos for their sentimentality, many accusing them of being gay. Videos filled with homophobic language and violent imagery have popped up on YouTube with Spanish titles that translate as “How to kill an emo” and “We declare war on you, emos.”

Then, on March 8, in an apparent response to a call to arms circulated on the Internet, an estimated 200 teens descended on a square in the central city of Querétaro and pummeled a group of emos with pipes and sticks....

On Wednesday, acting under orders from Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico City Police Chief Joel Ortega announced he was instructing his officers to be more sensitive to the emos, and he called on the city’s punks and Goths to be more accepting as well.

“We are making a call for tolerance with this group of emos, even if they are a minority, because there are other kids who, because of their ideals, are also in the process of forming splinter groups,” he told reporters.


The day after Ortega’s announcement, rumors began to circulate of an attack on the emos planned for Good Friday at the Glorieta Insurgentes.

According to media reports, someone had been posting solicitations to come “crucify” the emos that day at 3 p.m., the same time that Jesus died on the cross at Calvary.

Ortega responded by dispatching hundreds of police to the plaza to stand guard over the few dozen kids, including Emmanuel Huerta, who decided to brave the threat.

Mexican news report This is one of many videos on the subject on you tube:

Kill All Emos?
antiMUSIC.com, CA - 13 Mar 2008



It is sad to think these attacks span out of the sort of stupid anti emo prejudice found online a problem pointed out here a while ago.

Thread here at Bizarre...

It’s Sex, Not Politics

Newsweek reports that Chile has problems with androgynous, gender bending, pierced teenagers having Pokemon themed oral sex orgies. True???

Chile: It’s Sex, Not Politics | Newsweek Culture | Newsweek.com

The teens call their public orgies ponceo. On a typical Friday afternoon in the Chilean capital of Santiago, hundreds gather in a leafy urban park for a few hours of sexual experimentation. Surrounded by passing strollers, they trade partners multiple times—mostly engaging in anonymous rounds of oral sex. When the party is over, no contact information is exchanged. Same-gender interactions are commonplace, as the lines between hetero- and homosexuality are blurred, partly by the alcohol and drugs consumed, but also by shifting social mores held by Chilean youth, in contrast to their conservative parents. "Ponceo is about having fun," says Natalia Fernandez, a 15-year-old with pink hair and a pierced chin. "This time I had seven partners."

Not true according to someone from Chile:

Pokemones Are Not Oral Sexy Obsessed, Just Kissing Crazy
Kotaku.com, NY 19 Mar 2008

Emo Jock clash at Priest River Lamanna High school

Altercation prompts gun rumors at PRLHS
Bonner County Daily Bee

Posted: Friday, Mar 14, 2008 - 09:06:42 am PDT
By NICK IVIE
Hagadone News Network

PRIEST RIVER - A suspected gun threat at Priest River Lamanna High School was quickly downgraded in the wake of rumors of possible problems Thursday.

After an off-campus altercation over the weekend sent a teenager to the hospital for stitches, fears spread of possible retaliation. A few parents opted to keep students home until the situation was resolved.

Threats of guns and knives escalated to the point where a student was reportedly carrying a type of pottery cleaning tool for protection. Reports of the threats spread through e-mails and text messages Wednesday evening, even disrupting the scheduled school board meeting.

Some students at the school felt the incident may have ties to last month's suicide death of a local teenager.

“They think he killed himself because of the jocks and the way everyone picked on him,” said one student. “The ‘jocks' and ‘emos' were going to have a fight today, then one kid supposedly had a gun and some others had knives so they're all staying in their classrooms.”

“Emo” typically refers to an expressive genre of rock music. Fans of such bands are also known for their distinctive style of dress and grooming habits.

The deceased teen was not a student at PRLHS for the last year and was working at a local mill at the time of his death.

West Bonner County Superintendent Mike McGuire said staff has been dealing with the friction between the students.

“We have been emphasizing that the students let go of this because it doesn't honor his life,” he said. “We hadn't realized how far just a few students were taking their beliefs and it just got crazy last night. There was a real fear between adults and students alike and we did everything we could to ease the fear.”

McGuire said PRLHS Principal Brad Madison met with staff after school and additional security measures will be continued.

The small group of students are not in school at present, but according to McGuire, are not suspended either. It was thought best on all parts that they stay away from school grounds, he added.

McGuire emphasized the situation stems from a small number of students and the district will not tolerate fear ruining the rest of the school year for others.

He stressed that no weapons were found on the school premises.

“There might be a lot of upcoming discipline to squash what is going on. All this drama is not good for anyone and we will respond appropriately,” McGuire said.

Interesting comments at the site.

Sophie trial update

Sophie accused says he only threw one punch
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 19 Mar 2008
... the 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies any involvement in the death of Sophie Lancaster despite bloodstains on his shoes.

Murder victim 'posed for picture' seconds before attack
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 18 Mar 2008
By Sally Henfield SOPHIE Lancaster and Robert Maltby posed for a picture moments before they were attacked in a skate park, a jury was told. ..

Sophie Trial latest

No internet access for the past few days hence lack of updates. Sophie case continues to get lots of coverage with local press providing the most detail:

BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Court witness reveals killer's id

Tearful mum flees murder trial
The Sun, UK 17th March

Witness 'saw accused kicking Sophie in head'
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 14 Mar 2008
By Charlotte Bradshaw A TEENAGER told the jury he saw the defendant kicking Sophie Lancaster in the head during the skate park attack that led to her death.

Pathologist details Sophie's 'horrific' injuries
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 14 Mar 2008
Sophie Lancaster suffered 17 different injuries during the attack in Stubbylee Park, Bacup, including a head wound where her scalp was split open.

'How I tried to stop Sophie’s bleeding’
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 14 Mar 2008
By Charlotte Bradshaw A TEENAGE witness has told how he stemmed the flow of blood from Sophie Lancaster's face. The boy, 16, told Preston Crown Court that ...

Girl in tears as she tells of fear of ‘Bacup lot’
Lancashire Evening Telegraph, UK - 14 Mar 2008
By Charlotte Bradshaw A TEARFUL 15-year-old girl has told of the night Sophie Lancaster and Robert Maltby were attacked.

Another punk killed in Russia

Neo-Nazi attacks in Russia claimed another victim. We reported on the attempted bombing/ attacks by Russian Neo Nazis earlier. This is about the fourth punk/SHARP killed by neo-nazis in Russia.

Teenager Stabbed to Death in Gang Attack
The Moscow Times

A teenager has been stabbed to death in an attack possibly organized by Spartak Moscow football fans on the Internet.

The 16-year-old boy died in a "mass brawl" near the Kitai-Gorod metro station on Sunday evening, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee said Monday.

"A murder case has been opened, but no further details can be given as the case is ongoing," said the spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The spokesman refused to identify the teenager.

News reports identified the victim as Alexei Krylov and said he and the attackers belonged to rival skinhead groups.

Novaya Gazeta, citing an unidentified law enforcement official, reported that 15 skinheads who support xenophobic violence attacked Krylov and several of his friends, who belong to SHARP, or Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice.

Krylov, who died of multiple stab wounds at the scene, had attended a punk concert with his friends at the nearby Art Garbage club. He lived in the town of Noginsk near Moscow, the newspaper said.

Visitors to the http://fanat1k.ru web site, run by Spartak fans who support xenophobic violence, apparently planned the attack late last week.

While the entries on the web site's forums had been deleted Monday, versions of the pages cached by web pages remained viewable.

"A couple of words of advice to those planning to hang around Kitai-Gorod on Sunday," began one entry, posted by the user Perovsky, who is listed on the web site as an administrator.

"Why don't a couple of us go down there and check out the vicinity of the club. Dress like a regular person ... but don't go too close," the posting said. "On Sunday this thread will be deleted."

Another user asked whether there would be metal detectors at the club's entrance.

"If there are, then the SHARPs will get it outside. If not, then we will go in ourselves," said a third user, who called himself Slavka 'Oi!

Web site administrators did not reply to an e-mailed request for comment.

In unrelated Spartak violence, around 200 fans were detained after the club's Russian Premier League opener against Zenit St. Petersburg last weekend.

Police said the fans were held for petty crimes and no serious attacks were reported.

Violence is common among Russian football fans, and Spartak fans -- known as Gladiators -- have been implicated in other xenophobic attacks in recent years.

In October, teenage Spartak fans were detained after a wave of knife and other attacks left several dark-skinned foreigners dead.

In an apparently unconnected attack, a Nigerian student was in the hospital with a concussion on Monday after being attacked by four drunken factory workers near the Prazhskaya metro station, Itar-Tass reported.

The student, from Peoples' Friendship University, was not identified.

Neo-Fascists Attacked Teenagers in Moscow
March 17th

Armed by knives, a group of roughly 15 attacked seven teenagers in downtown Moscow Sunday; the young people were going to the punk concert at Art Garbage Club, RBC reported. One of teenagers died of the knife wound.
The accident happened at 6:34 p.m., near 6 Maroseika St., Moscow. The called patrol officers found a 16-year boy with a penetrating wound in the chest and lots of other cut wounds. He died in 15 minutes, before the emergency ambulance arrived to save him.

A criminal case was opened under the Clause 105 of the RF Criminal Code (murder committed by a group of persons for hooligan purposes).

The neo-fascists had thoroughly planned the accident. The call to attack the concert visitors and respective instructions were the highlights of Spartak fans forum. Through hearsay, the topic moderator was the person with Perovskiy nick, who is notorious in the neo-fascist community. The issue was crossed out of the forum straight after the attack but it remained in the cash of Internet searching vehicles.

During the discussion, one of the visitors suggested blowing up the club. Another visitor wanted to know about the guards of the club and whether it would be possible to bring the knives there and massacre inside it.

www.kommersant.com

Young man killed in Moscow in attack by neo-Nazis, group says
The Associated Press
Published: March 17, 2008

MOSCOW: A young man was stabbed to death in central Moscow in what activists described on Monday as an attack by neo-Nazis.

The Antifa anti-Nazi movement said in a blog that the 16-year-old, Alexei Krylov, was attacked by more than a dozen neo-Nazis armed with knives and fatally stabbed in the neck late Sunday. The attack just a few blocks away from the Kremlin occurred as Krylov and several others were heading to a punk music concert in a Moscow nightclub, Antifa said.

Moscow police spokesman Yevgeny Gildeyev confirmed that a young man was stabbed to death in downtown Moscow late Sunday, but would not identify the victim or give any details, saying the criminal probe was under way.

Antifa said that a young woman also was wounded in Sunday's attack. It said that in 2006 another young man died in a similar attack by neo-Nazis outside a Moscow nightclub.

Nationalist and neo-Nazi groups mushroomed after the 1991 Soviet collapse as a dramatic economic decline spread social frustration, particularly among youth. They targeted numerous guest workers from impoverished ex-Soviet republics in the Caucasus and Central Asia, students from Africa, visitors from Asian countries, Jews and Russian anti-Nazi activists.
Today in Europe
Bush sends Putin an agenda for security talks in Russia
Kosovo Serb rioters clash with UN and NATO forces
Turkey's leaders weigh legal moves to fight suit that would close their party

Rights activists have said that authorities, who earlier came under criticism for doing little to combat xenophobia, have been making efforts recently to investigate hate crimes more thoroughly and to take such cases to court.

Goth killing trial: extracts from the 999 call

Long extracts from the 999 call. The next link is one of the longer reports on the trial available online.

Goth killing trial: extracts from the 999 call
Times Online, UK -



Sophie 'murdered for looking like a goth'
This Is Lancashire,

Bizarre launch Proud to be Different! campaign

A fairly popular UK magazine has now leapt into this area.

Bizarre magazine which costs £3.50, has a monthly circulation of 54,571.

"Goth" murder prompts Bizarre's Proud to be Different campaign - join up!

We’re sure you’ve all read about the current murder trial of Sophie Lancaster, the girl kicked to death in Lancashire last year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7291985.stm

It’s something that’s affected us deeply at Bizarre. Our readers pride themselves on being different and not conforming to society’s norms.

Whether you consider yourself a goth, a metaller, a rockabllly, an emo kid, a retro head, a fetish fan, or whether you’ve got body mods or tattoos, at some point in your life you’re likely to have been verbally or physically abused for the way you look.

You may have had an employer discriminating against you, someone shouting at you in the street, or suffered more serious physical abuse.

And it’s just not on. We don’t want to take it any more. And we don’t want you to take it any more.

We’ve set up an online forum where you can share your experiences, show solidarity, offload your worries, and maybe come up with ideas for strategies to help stop the hate.

Join us now at http://bizarremagazine.proboards88.com

And let’s go from there..."

Hopefully it will raise awareness of this problem.

BBC - "Goth clothes 'prompted killing'" - More grim details of Sophie's death

More News reports from today at the trial:

BBC - Goth clothes 'prompted killing'

A 15-year-old boy kicked and stamped to death a woman because she was dressed as a Goth, a court heard.

The drunk teenager was among a gang of five who "savagely and mercilessly" attacked Sophie Lancaster, 20, and her boyfriend, Preston Crown Court heard.

Miss Lancaster was begging the gang to stop beating Robert Maltby, 21, when they turned on her in Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Lancashire, the jury was told.

The 15-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, denies murder.

At an earlier hearing a 15-year-old boy admitted Miss Lancaster's murder and admitted attacking Mr Maltby.

The court heard her facial injuries were so severe, paramedics did not know what sex she was.

Tests indicated she had been kicked and stamped to death, with the pattern of some footwear still on her head.

Miss Lancaster, a gap-year student, died two weeks after the attack.

It would appear that [they] were singled out, not for anything they had said or done, but because they dressed differently to the defendant and his friend Michael Shorrock QC Prosecuting

Prosecuting, Michael Shorrock QC told the court the young couple, from Bacup, were walking home from a friend's house when they "fell into conversation" with a group of teenagers.

The talk was friendly and good-natured, the court heard, but five of a group of youths "turned" on Mr Maltby.

The accused had started the violence, with a flying kick to the head of Mr Maltby, the jury was told.

The gang, "encouraging each other and laughing" punched, stamped and jumped on his head until he was unconscious, Mr Shorrock said.

As Miss Lancaster kneeled down, cradling her boyfriend's head on her lap and calling for help, the accused and the 15-year-old youth who has already pleaded guilty to murder, turned on her.

The second boy kicked her in the head, with the accused joining in, the court heard.

Robert Maltby suffered head injuries

Paramedics found the couple lying side by side, covered in blood and unconscious.

Mr Shorrock said the gang had turned on the young couple simply because they were Goths or "moshers" and dressed differently to them.

Mr Maltby survived the attack in August last year but has not made a full recovery. He has no memory of the incident.

The accused, and four other youths, two aged 17 and one 16, have already pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm to Mr Maltby.

Mr Shorrock said the five, none of whom can be named, were "acting like a pack of wild animals".

"The attack was totally unprovoked.

"It would appear that Mr Maltby and Miss Lancaster were singled out, not for anything they had said or done, but because they dressed differently to the defendant and his friend," he said.

The case continues.

Other detailed reports here:

Teenager denies murder in goth killing trial
Guardian Unlimited,

'Savage' boy, 15, 'mercilessly' kicked woman to death 'because she was a goth
Daily Mail, UK - 21 minutes ago
The teenager was among a five-strong gang, "acting like a pack of wild animals" as they "savagely and mercilessly" attacked Sophie Lancaster, 20, ...

Sophie Lancaster - Most involved admit guilt

BBC News

Teenager admits killing in park

A 16-year-old boy has admitted kicking a woman to death in a Lancashire park.

Sophie Lancaster, 20, and boyfriend Robert Maltby, 21, were in Stubby Lee Park in Bacup, Lancashire, when they were attacked on 11 August 2007.

At Preston Crown Court a youth, who cannot legally be named, admitted murder, and attacking Mr Maltby.

A 15-year-old youth is due to stand trial for the murder - he denies the charge but admits causing grevious bodily harm with intent.

Murder charges against three other youths - two aged 17 and one aged 16 - were withdrawn.

None of the youths can be named because of their age.

Remanded in custody

The three youths who had the murder charge withdrawn were remanded in custody by Judge Anthony Russell QC, Recorder of Preston, after admitting GBH.

They will be sentenced after the conclusion of the murder trial of the 15-year-old defendant.

A jury is due to be sworn in and a trial, scheduled to last three weeks, is expected to start on Wednesday. Miss Lancaster died two weeks after the incident. She was in a coma after suffering head injuries and never regained consciousness.

Mr Maltby, an art student, also fell into a coma, but recovered and has since left hospital.

The beginning of the trial saw a renewed interest with articles, in The Times, Scotsman, Guardian, Telegraph, Mirror, Mail, Metro, The Sun, BBC, Sky News and ITN plus other sources. However none of articles picked up on the wider implications of the crime many many not mentioning the role of prejudice in the attack.
Only the Lancashire Evening Telegraph article below mentioned the S.O.P.H.I.E. campaign. Why?? Some online articles do not even mention the fact that both people attacked were goths though the BBC did in their broadcast.


Will the media match the amount of time it spent on the case of goth Bus prejudice with the same amount on this case of murder and GBH? In the next few weeks we will see.

"Sophie's death prompted an out-pouring of grief from friends and family in East Lancashire.
Her mother Sylvia, from Bacup, has established SOPHIE (Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere) to call for greater under-standing for marginalised sections of society."Sophie Lancaster murder trial due to startThis Is Lancashire, UK - 10 Mar 2008

Boy, 16, admits woman's murder
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 14 hours ago
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, admitted the murder of Sophie Lancaster and the attack on her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, 21. ...

The Sun proclaimed Goth Killer Guilty.

Boy, 16, pleads guilty to beating to death female college student ...

Daily Mail - Sophie Lancaster: a 16-year-old pleaded guilty today to her murder. Miss Lancaster and Mr Maltby were beaten up in a vicious assault in Stubbylee Park, .

Lad guilty of Goth's kill horror
Mirror.co.uk, UK - 9 hours ago
A schoolboy faces an unlimited jail sentence after admitting murdering a Goth student and assaulting her boyfriend. The 16-year-old pleaded guilty yesterday ...,

Kent - Teenage goth attacked

Goth beaten up by group of men

11/03/2008

A teenage boy who was punched and kicked as he walked home from school, was picked on because of how he was dressed, police believe.

The 16-year-old, who described himself as a Goth, claimed he was attacked by three men in Windmill Road, Whitstable.

The men came up behind him after he passed by them and assaulted him, before he managed to escape. Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack, which was on Thursday, March 6, at about 4.30pm.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Constable John Tharp on 01227 744786.

Was teenager attacked for being a 'goth'?

Was teenager attacked for being a 'goth'?

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a 16-year-old boy was punched and kicked as he walked home from school.

The incident happened last Thursday at about 4.30pm in Windmill Road, Whitstable.

The boy remembers passing three men who then turned, came up behind him and started shouting. They then assaulted him and pulled him over until he managed to get away and run home.

The men are described as aged 20 to 23, wearing tracksuits, sports shoes and caps.

The boy describes himself as a Goth and it is believed this may have been why the men picked on him.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the incident is urged to contact DC John Tharp on 01227 744786 or Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Liverpool - Happy slap thug jailed

Happy slap thug jailed

Mar 1 2008 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Echo

A TEENAGER who was part of a gang who carried out a “happy slapping” attack on a teenager has been locked up.

Alan Brown was with three others when they picked on their 14-year-old old victim simply because of his distinctive “goth” style.

Liverpool crown court heard what may have started as “fun and play”, quickly turned nasty.

The group soon began to punch their young victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and he fell to the ground.

Witnesses reported seeing Brown and another thug kick the youngster as he lay on the ground attempting to protect his head. At least one of the group filmed the attack on their mobile phone.

Yesterday Judge David Aubrey QC condemned the assault, saying he wanted to send a message to other youths, warning courts would clamp down on such attacks.

He sentenced Brown, 19, of Maiden Lane, Clubmoor, to 15 months in a young offenders institution.

Judge Aubrey said: “It may be that such cases, referred to by others as happy slapping when it is of course no such thing, may have originated elsewhere, but the message that must go out is that such behaviour will not be tolerated by courts in this city.”

He told Brown: “I must put a sentence that not only deters you but other youths.”

Judge Aubrey told the tall, well-built teenager that the fact the group had specifically targeted such a young boy, particularly because of the way he was dressed, was also an aggravating feature.

The court heard the young victim had been relaxing with friends on grass near the Liver Building, when Brown and his gang had approached, teasing him because of his “goth” style.

Although he only suffered minor injuries in the attack, the court heard he had been left frightened and scared and no longer wished to visit the city centre.

Unemployed Brown had pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual harm on April 21, 2007, but he was convicted by a jury.

No other members of the group have been caught.

Interesting to note that Riuven's song the Liv was all the rage in Liverpool at the time of the attack see:

"I have em all off" - RiUvEn and Goth battering

Six-week murder trial for those accused of killing Sophie Lancaster - Rossendale Free Press

The Pre trial hearing was held looks like the actual trial will be a long one.

Six-week murder trial - News - Rossendale Free Press

22/ 2/2008

FIVE youths accused of murdering 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster, from Bacup, face a six-week trial next month.

The teenagers, who appeared for a pre-trial review at Preston Crown Court today (Friday), are also charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Miss Lancaster’s boyfriend, Robert Maltby, 21, also from Bacup.

But they pleaded not guilty to both offences, which they are alleged to have carried out in an attack in Stubbylee Park last August, at a previous court appearance in December.

The trial, which is due to start on Monday 10 March, had been expected to last four weeks, but this has now been extended by a fortnight due to the large number of witnesses and evidence.

The court heard there would be 50 witnesses, many of whom would give their evidence via a video link due to their age.

Judge Anthony Russell QC also ruled that legal representatives in the case would not have to wear their gowns and wigs due to the age of the witnesses involved.

He said arrangements would be made to accommodate the Lancaster family away from the defendants’ families during the trial; they sat in the press gallery during today’s hearing. The defendants are all aged between 15 and 17.

Two were remanded in custody, one of whom will appear in court again next Friday for a review of enquiries into his health. The other three were released on bail.

There is a write up of the Sophie concert in Preston earlier this month here:

Gary Forbes condition stable

PRAYING FOR GARY
Dromore Today, UK - 19 Feb 2008
By PAUL WILKINSON DROMORE High School's principal has described ex-pupil Gary Forbes, who was seriously injured after jumping from a bridge when confrontedby a group of youths in Belfast, as a boy who would not have harmed anyone. Mr. John Wilkinson said everyone at the school, where Gary's sister Holly has been a pupil for the past three years, is praying that the injured teenager should recover following emergency surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital and that his family should feel the support of friends.
As The Leader went to press a hospital spokesperson described Gary's condition as "stable". Gary was shopping with friends in Belfast and was returning to Central Station to take the train home at about 9.30pm on Saturday, February 9, when he was assaulted...