Six teenagers admit attack on Egyptian student who died a month later
Six teenagers have admitted their role in a street attack which left an Egyptian student in a coma.
Mariam Moustafa, 18, suffered a stroke 10 hours after the beating and died a month later.
The engineering student was attacked on February 20 last year in Nottingham, when she was punched several times by a group of women near a bus stop.
They followed her onto a bus near the Victoria Centre shopping precinct, and were allegedly threatening and abusive towards her.
Three teenagers had admitted their role in the attack, but another three had been due to stand trial last week.
Instead, Mariah Fraser, 19, Britania Hunter, 18, and a 16-year-old girl, admitted their part in the attack.
Three other teenage girls, two aged 17 and one aged 18 admitted affray at Nottingham Youth Court last year.
As reporting restrictions were lifted, Mariam’s father spoke out to claim authorities showed him ‘no respect’ by not informing him of the recent court hearing.
Mohamed Moustafa said it was ‘another failure in the case of our daughter’ and his legal representative said an official complaint has been made.
Mr Moustafa, 51, said: ‘We were not informed or advised in any way, shape, or form that there was a hearing on that day.
‘As a family we are entitled to know everything regarding our daughter’s case beforehand and not after.
‘We should have been informed of that hearing date and time and we should have been given the opportunity to attend the hearing. This very simple right was taken from us.
‘This is not the first mistake. A lot of mistakes happened with Mariam from the very first day and now it is just normal. Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes with Mariam.’
Mariam, who Mr Moustafa described as ‘very kind’ and ‘like an angel’, was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre in the city and then transferred to Nottingham City Hospital where she was treated until her death.
The attack caused uproar in Egypt and the country’s embassy had called on those responsible to be ‘brought to justice swiftly’.
After the final guilty pleas were entered, the teenager’s family also expressed their anger at the level of charges the six defendants faced.
Mr Moustafa described affray as ‘very weak’ – insisting there was ‘strong evidence’ the defendants should have been tried on more serious charges.
He said: ‘It’s unfair and unjust to charge those whom killed or, at least by their actions, led to (Mariam’s) death with such minor offences.
‘It is very weak. It is not fair at all.
‘From the first day I was very upset about the charge. Affray – it’s nothing.
‘We had a big hope that the CPS would be more aware that the attack happened at 7.45pm and the cause of death, the stroke, happened at 10am, which is just over 12 hours. But once more we were let down.’
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: ‘We have worked closely with the police to make sure Mr Moustafa has been kept updated throughout this process and are deeply sorry this didn’t happen on this particular occasion. We have contacted him to offer a full explanation.
‘We were preparing for trial in this case, two of the three guilty pleas were unexpected and we informed the family immediately.
‘We have also met with Mr Moustafa to explain the charge of affray, the CPS can only charge if the evidential stage of our tests for prosecution are met. Our thoughts remain with her family.’
Fraser, Hunter, and the four other teenagers will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.