Thugs who tortured Leeds metalers/goths jailed

The gang that cut off the ear of Paul Gibbs were jailed. Original reports on case here:
The full details make grim reading what makes these crimes even more sickening is the atmosphere of brutal calculation, and the way the criminals lulled their victims into a false sense of security. Paul Gibbs and his friends were sadly too trusting that other people were as friendly as they were. Mere robbery was not enough the thugs had to use brutal violence as well. As this report makes clear it might have ended in murder:

Bully boys terrorised Goths in park
Yorkshire Post - ‎Jun 5, 2009‎

Published Date: 05 June 2009
By Olwen Dudgeon

A MAN was savagely beaten and had his ear cut off while three others were
injured in a horrific night of violence when a gang of "bully boys" decided to
rob Goths camping in a park.

Andrew Hall, Ryan Woodhead and Quinn Colley, who described themselves as "Chavs", hatched a plan to attack a group celebrating a teenager's birthday in Rothwell Country Park, Leeds, with a barbecue last August. Hall, Woodhead and Colley had spent the day drinking and had already demonstrated "vitriolic hostility" to the "Emos" or "Moshers" known for their dark clothing and make-up, Richard Wright, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday. When they first saw the Goths arriving, Hall, with the others as pillion passengers, drove his scooter at them and shouted abuse. They then hatched their plan to assault and rob them.Mr Wright said the three turned up pretending to be peaceful. They drank beer with the group and Hall took people to buy cigarettes and alcohol on his scooter. He even apologised for the earlier incident.

Having gained the trust of their victims, they then offered to take Paul Gibbs, the oldest and notional leader to get more beer.Once away from the others, Hall stopped his scooter and Colley and Woodhead launched a savage attack on Mr Gibbs, who was repeatedly punched and kicked until he lost consciousness and could only remember waking in hospital.He had suffered a severe head injury, and for a time was in a coma, spending weeks in hospital. Before he was found by police that night in "a barbaric twist" he also had his left ear severed with a knife. Both attackers deny responsibility.Doctors hope to re-attach it later this year.

Mr Wright said that some of the other Goths went looking for Mr Gibbs. Hall then offered another one a lift. Once again, Hall attacked him and searched his pockets before leaving the area.Meanwhile, Colley and Woodhead attacked two others. One youth was punched and kicked unconsciousness, waking up only several days later in Leeds General Infirmary, while the second was kicked in the face suffering a bloody nose.They robbed two girls before following them back to the campsite to continue the terror.Colley, already on bail for an attack in the same park when he fractured a youth's jaw, said he had been told by "his boss" to kill them, but let them go. Hall, 22, of Sixth Avenue, Rothwell, Leeds, who admitted conspiracy to rob and grievous
bodily harm to Mr Gibbs, was given an indeterminate prison sentence and must
serve a minimum of four-and-a-half years.

Woodhead, 18, Seventh Avenue, Rothwell, and Colley, 18, of Wordsworth Drive, Oulton, both Leeds, each admitted conspiracy to rob and grievous bodily harm with intent and were given indeterminate sentences to serve a minimum of two years, 210 days.Colley also admitted grievous bodily harm in July. Judge James Spencer QC described them as a "bunch of bully boys" who would only be released when they were considered no longer a danger to the public.

Alicia Thompson who organised the goth march in Sheffield and other places last year was interviewed on the case on BBC Look North and made some good points and adds more details about the aftermath of the robbery and the blood soaked scene.

You can see the video via the facebook page :
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=194393410206&subj=624250206



Here is the group Eternal Souls of Twilight she organises on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?page=3&oid=2518987272&aid=-1&auser=&view=all#/group.php?gid=75446590234

In theory if those sentencing guidelines that Jack Straw agreed to recently with the SOPHIE group were in place already this group may have had longer sentences. Although that would be more satisfactory for the victims and everyone else it will not solve the problem it is sad to reflect.

Do longer sentences actual deter the people capable of this kind of oportunistic savagery? If you look at the details of the crime the thugs were obviously going to get caught as they had been alongside their victims long enough to provide loads of witnesses and they were well known in the area. We are not exactly talking criminal masterminds it seems their feelings of preudice and hate turned a robbery of a bunch of teenagers for a few bits of cash into acts of sadistic hate-ridden violence which were far more serious and ensured the police put in a big effort to catch them. Yet the amount of effort the scum put into creating the situation where they could isolate and beat their victims shows a kind of brutal cunning which is worrying. It really is like something out of a horror film.

Stephanie Burlingham - scholarly 14 year old bullied to death

Found another case of a kid who killed herself because of bullying just like other cases like the The Tragic Suicide of Nicola Raphael or Tempest Smith or more recently Dominic Maynard and Sam Leeson. Bullied because of her taste in music and because she worked hard in school.

Leeds teenager bullied for shunning drinking, smoking and swearing ...

April 2008

He heard that Stephanie, who had started dressing like a Goth and listening to
Goth music, had been bullied by text and on the MSN Messenger.

Vicious attack on Goths in Rothwell, Leeds - Paul Gibbs seriously injured

Another vicious attack and mutilation with the most serious injuries inflicted on 26 year old Paul Gibbs and two others injured as well. This sounds like another very horrifying crime:

Echoes of Reservoir Dogs as camper's severed ear found
Yorkshire Post - Aug 30, 2008

One man and two youths are still in custody being questioned in on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder in connection with the case.

The 26-year-old was one of a group of about 20 young goths who were camping on parkland close to the John O'Gaunts estate in Rothwell, east of Leeds, when they were viciously attacked. Four of the group were stabbed and two of the girls were robbed at knifepoint. Two of the four injured men suffered serious injuries.

It is believed the group had travelled up to the John O'Gaunts area at around 8pm on Wednesday and were having a barbecue, drinking and listening to music.Police said a number of attacks took place at different times and at different locations, before one of the group made a frantic call to police. The most violent of the incidents resulted in the man's ear being severed.

Leeds Goths' tribute to pal who had ear sliced off
Yorkshire Evening Post - Sep 1, 2008

Kyle Staniforth was camping with around 20 mosher or Goth friends, ... Police have not revealed the extent of his injuries, other than to his ear

Rothwell Goth attack: Three in court
Rothwell Today - Aug 28, 2008

Police probe Leeds Goth attack after man's ear chopped off ...
Police probe Leeds Goth attack after man's ear chopped off - Residents told of
their shock today over a terrifying night of knife crime

Two major papers focus on SOPHIE

Been away. So back with lots to note. Important coverage in two leading broadsheets:

Goths' blackest day
guardian.co.uk, UK - 25 Apr 2008

On the social networking site Bebo, there's a group called grungers-should-die,
which sets out its mission statement as follows: "Join this band if u think
grungers / goth should die ... tell us some story about u bashing some
grungers."
On the comment wall, a girl has obliged: "fuckin bashed a grunger
the uva day innit."
Over on Myspace, there is a profile for a group called
SOPHIE, illustrated with a photograph of a smiling young woman with dreadlocks
and facial piercings, wearing a vest with a skeleton on it.
She is Sophie
Lancaster, the 20-year-old beaten to death by two teenage boys in a park in
Lancashire last summer. Sophie died because of the way she looked. She was
killed trying to protect her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, who had already been
knocked unconscious by the boys.
She wasn't into labels, but others described
her as a goth, or a grunger. The girl who called 999 about the attack said the
couple were "bashed" for being "moshers". The site is a memorial to her short
life, and aims "to work towards a more tolerant, less violent society"....

They visit the WndyHouse in Leeds and intrview loads of people including Sophie's mum and the famous Goth Bus couple.

Manwhile at The Times Richard Morrison's article advises donaing to SOPHIE:
Whitby Gothic Weekend is a lesson in British tolerance
Times Online, UK - 25 Apr 2008

They are an endearing bunch. In spite of their strenuous efforts to project
themselves as Satanic ghouls, corpse-botherers and insatiable transsexual
deviants, it's quite clear that none would harm a fly. Indeed, one main function
of Whitby Gothic Weekend is to be a confidence-boosting tribal gathering for
people who are often targets of abuse or worse in their own towns.
That
mutual support is needed, after the murder last year of Sophie Lancaster. She
was the 20-year-old kicked to death by teenagers when she came to the aid of her
boyfriend, who was being beaten up. The thugs, it seems, picked on them just
because they were dressed as Goths. By all accounts Sophie was a caring girl who
simply wanted to express her individuality by dressing the way she did - a
quintessential Goth, in other words. Unfortunately she ran into a different sort
of tribe: a gang of feral youths, bereft of morality or conscience, who
inflicted violence for fun - and whose supporters sniggered at the dead girl's
mother in the subsequent court proceedings.
So in Whitby at 11.30am today,
as the centrepiece of Gothic Weekend, a memorial bench will be dedicated to
Sophie, who attended several Whitby gatherings. Donations from Goths have paid
for it. But I'd like to commend a separate fund, set up by her family and
friends. Called SOPHIE, meaning Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance
Everywhere, it will use donations to further those laudable aims. See
www.myspace.com/inmemoryofsophie for details.
We talk a lot, usually
disapprovingly, about “tribal mentality”. But after 50,000 years it's probably
too deeply ingrained in the human psyche to be erased. Instead, we should be
encouraging young people to gravitate to tribes that bring joy to themselves
without harming or antagonising others. The Whitby Gothic Weekend is the epitome
of that. The Goths have fun and supply a bizarre three-day fashion parade, the
townsfolk smile benignly, and the pubs do a roaring trade. That's Britain at its
tolerant best.

Leeds corn Exchange closed

The Guardian has noted the ongoing attack on diverse shops in the UK in the recent closure of Leeds Corn Exchange which is combined with demonisation of alternative subcultures from local authorities. (See previous post on this.) It doesn't mention the recent moves in Glasgow, Camden Market or Bristol though. There has been a massive protest about the plans:

Experts ask: 'Is Leeds going in the right direction?'
Yorkshire Evening Post, UK - Dec 18, 2007
"The Kirkgate Market and the Corn Exchange are both icons of the Leeds landscape, truly unique results of the city's history. The plans currently tabled for ...

Save the Corn Exchange Effectively Leeds Corn Exchange now forms part of a property portfolio of one of Zurich’s .... Sign a petition to Save the Corn Exchange in one of the shops ...


The contract by the new owners Zurich Assurance banning Goth/Metal/fetish shops is an amazing new low especially considering Leeds was at the forefront of establishing goth back in the 80s:

Guardian - Comment is free: Exchange or refund

This month's closure of Leeds Corn Exchange is the latest blow to be struck against individuality in the name of regeneration.

The shopping centre - whose independent traders specialise in alternative fashion and curiosities - is being turned into an "international food emporium" by its leaseholder Zurich Assurance and the traders have been given until January 14 to leave.

The firm has yet to secure new tenants but promises a huge range of upmarket foodstuffs, plus a branded "statement" restaurant.

It claims the changes are essential to recoup £1.5m of refurbishment costs but traders suspect their wares and clientele - students, teenagers, goths and emos - are surplus to requirements in shiny, regenerated Leeds.

Last year the youths who loiter outside the centre were threatened with dispersal orders and asbos, and shop contracts specifically ban the sale of gothic, pagan or fetish clothing or accessories.

The surrounding Exchange Quarter is the centre of the city's vibrant alternative scene - gritty, grubby and full of cutting-edge nightspots, vintage shops and tattoo parlours. Elsewhere, the bland chain stores, dull chain bars and prestige department stores reign supreme. The evicted traders are struggling to find new premises in the booming city, where rents have leapt fourfold in a few years and vacant units are in short supply. Some will quit Leeds, while others are looking for jobs.

The plans have prompted some to question the direction of Leeds' regeneration and the squeezing out of quirky, independent shops and those whose lifestyles don't fit the norm.

Similar things are happening in other cities, where individuality is being crushed by profit-driven big business, intent on sleek, gentrified spaces and products that attract the "right sort" of consumer.

Quiggins, a legendary Liverpool hippy emporium that was home to 50 stalls, fell victim in 2006 to a massive regeneration scheme linked to the European capital of culture preparations.

Campaigners in Birmingham are fighting the planned closure of the Fiveways Centre - home to a progressive publishing company and a Fairtrade music venue - by its owners Mars Pension Trustees.

The future of Manchester's bohemian Afflecks Palace is uncertain. Stallholders have been in limbo since their leases ran out in June and any hike in rents - on what is a prime site - could put many out of business. London's Queens Market is also fighting for its survival.

Critics claim Leeds is on its way to becoming a soulless "clone town" peopled by wealthy yuppies and corporations - and with few spaces where citizens of all classes, ethnicities and ages can mingle. Their fears are compounded by plans to redevelop the city's Kirkgate Market.

In an open letter, 14 academics specialising in urban regeneration warned the drive to open exclusive retail centres is stripping away its character. They wrote:

"Gentrification by its very nature actively works against efforts to narrow the gap. It also erodes what is left of the public realm.

In the obsession to compete with other cities, to go up a league and be the Barcelona of the north, Leeds is in danger of simply becoming a 'clone city', a place like anywhere else.

And a clone town promotes clone people. As the city changes shape, there is a real danger that it actually narrows the type of people that it attracts."

Their warning should be heeded by other cities, where corporatised developments continue to suck the life from independent enterprise and leach away individuality.

The key to effective regeneration must be safeguarding a town's uniqueness, public spaces and sense of local identity - and small businesses are a vital part of that. This, surely, is exactly what makes many continental cities so special.

Leeds Corn Exchange under threat

Following the loss of Camden market and the threat to Manchester's Affleck's palace now Leeds Corn Exchange is under threat. Similar problem to the Glasgow event noted recently. Particularly interesting is the police campaign against alternative youth highlighted by this article:


http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386716.html

As most people form Leeds know, the Corn Exchange plays a major part in the city's youth alternative culture and has done for decades. On any day you'll see goths, punks, emo kids and just general teenagers meeting there, making new mates, getting along and having fun.

POLICE ASBO'S DEEPER SECRET?
Just over a year ago the owners of the building (Eagle Star Life Assurance / Zurich) and the centre management (Phoenix Beard) pressurised West Yorkshire Police, who were far from reluctant to act, to get rid of this young community through months intimidation; ranging from placing dozens of police officers outside the centre each weekend, arresting people for standing in the 'wrong place' and serving Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) on kids for doing what kids do. They have also tried a smear campaign telling people that the Corn-X is a hotspot for drugs and underage drinking when this is infact far from the truth. At first the police and owners claimed the reasoning for their actions was that people gathering outside were intimidating those shopping there, but this didn't wash because it is a fact that most of the custom of shops inside comes from the youth who meet outside. Now it's appearing that the police smear campaign was just to try and get rid of the young community outside so the sale of the building can go ahead and the Corn-x can be redeveloped as a posh food emporium.


LEEDS ALTERNATIVE SCENE AT THREAT
The Corn Exchange is central to the alternative scene in Leeds due to it's high profile; it is one of the only places teenagers in the city hang out and keep entertained by friends instead of going off with a few mates and drinking in parks, or being reckless. Without it many people would lose friends they have seen on a weekendly basis; as well as the tight community where there is a large range of people from all different walks of life. If someone has something to talk about, there is always someone of their own age there who can help and even share experiences.


SMALL TRADERS WILL SUFFER
The stores inside the centre have been given until January to find an alternative premises, or face closure. These shops are small traders and cannot afford to move and pay the expensive rent for the other places in Leeds City Centre; and aside from the money aspect there is a lack of empty premises in town as they are all being bought out by large retailers - this is also another contributor to the rise in costs for renting space. Either way these shops will have to close down which will have an effect on the local economy, as well as the customers who shop there as due to many of the stores being specialist traders. Not only shops inside the Corn-X will suffer, but many of the alternative stores in the vicinity will lose a large amount of custom as they are a tight community of traders; not forgetting that there will be a lack of customers around for them...

Similar points are made elsewhere and in this protest video from 2006 which shows the feelings of locals:

Corn Exchange demonstration against exclusion order

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Youth Comment - James Roberts - 01/04/2006 - Communitycare.co.uk ...