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15/02/2008
Teen Convicted For Video Of 'Happy Slapping' Killing
A 15-year-old girl has admitted using a mobile phone to film a man being beaten to death in a 'happy slapping' attack in Yorkshire, in a conviction which is believed to be the first of its kind in England and Wales.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court to aiding and abetting the manslaughter of 29-year-old Gavin Waterhouse in West Yorkshire in September last year.
The court heard how Mr Waterhouse was attacked by Mark Masters, 19, and a 17-year-old youth, who also cannot be named, in Keighley.
The Crown Prosecution Service said that the girl had been handed a mobile phone by one of the attackers and told to "video this". She then approached Mr Waterhouse and asked him for money before recording the assault, which subsequently took place.
Mr Waterhouse managed to return to his flat following the assault, but he died later from internal injuries.
Witnesses for the prosecution told the court that they had seen and heard the attackers boasting about the assault and saying that it was not the first time that they had attacked Mr Waterhouse.
The court also heard how they shared the footage of the attack with friends afterwards.
Judith Naylor, from the Crown Prosecution Service West Yorkshire, said: "As far as I am aware, this is the first time a suspect in England and Wales has been successfully prosecuted for aiding and abetting murder or manslaughter, for the filming of an inaptly called, 'happy slapping' incident.
"The message is this: if you stand by and watch your friends committing brutal crimes and video record their acts for yours or for others' amusement, your actions will not be ignored by the law enforcement agencies and prosecution may follow."
The girl will be sentenced at a date to be fixed along with Masters, from Parkwood Rise in Keighley, and the other youth.
(KMcA)
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court to aiding and abetting the manslaughter of 29-year-old Gavin Waterhouse in West Yorkshire in September last year.
The court heard how Mr Waterhouse was attacked by Mark Masters, 19, and a 17-year-old youth, who also cannot be named, in Keighley.
The Crown Prosecution Service said that the girl had been handed a mobile phone by one of the attackers and told to "video this". She then approached Mr Waterhouse and asked him for money before recording the assault, which subsequently took place.
Mr Waterhouse managed to return to his flat following the assault, but he died later from internal injuries.
Witnesses for the prosecution told the court that they had seen and heard the attackers boasting about the assault and saying that it was not the first time that they had attacked Mr Waterhouse.
The court also heard how they shared the footage of the attack with friends afterwards.
Judith Naylor, from the Crown Prosecution Service West Yorkshire, said: "As far as I am aware, this is the first time a suspect in England and Wales has been successfully prosecuted for aiding and abetting murder or manslaughter, for the filming of an inaptly called, 'happy slapping' incident.
"The message is this: if you stand by and watch your friends committing brutal crimes and video record their acts for yours or for others' amusement, your actions will not be ignored by the law enforcement agencies and prosecution may follow."
The girl will be sentenced at a date to be fixed along with Masters, from Parkwood Rise in Keighley, and the other youth.
(KMcA)
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Three teenagers who beat a man to death in a "happy slapping" attack have been sentenced at Leeds Crown Court. Mark Masters, 19, from Keighley, West Yorkshire and Sean Thompson, 17, from Bradford, had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Gavin Waterhouse.
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