Woman jailed after encouraging teens to attack black girl outside school
The girl had her hair pulled and suffered bruises and cuts when she was kicked and dragged to the ground.
A woman who encouraged pupils to attack a girl has been jailed.
A video of the fight was filmed at outside the Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford, Surrey, on February 6 last year, and posted on social media.
A 15-year-old black girl had her hair pulled and suffered bruises and cuts when she was kicked and dragged to the ground.
Winnie Connors, 40, was recorded shouting words of encouragement to the attacker saying ‘punch the face off her, kick her face, grab her face.’
The video played to Guildford Crown Court showed large clumps of the girl’s hair wrenched out as her head was also stamped on.
Prosecutor Charles Langley said she suffered a bruised eye, a grazed knee and her hair was ripped from her scalp.
The fight was only broken up when teachers arrived.
Mr Langley said: ‘This was a group attack and it was a prolonged and persistent assault.
‘There was clearly an element of planning in the assault with Ms Connors arriving for what appeared to be a pre-planned fight.’
Mr Langley added the girl went through counselling after the assault, was left stressed, and unable to eat.
The girl has since made a full recovery.
Mr Langley read out a victim impact statement from her that said: ‘I was very embarrassed because it was videoed by someone from the school.
‘The biggest struggle for me was the video and it being all over social media… it was very embarrassing.
‘It was horrible for my family to see me being injured in that way.’
Helen Dawson, defence counsel for Connors, said her client was sorry and deeply regretted what happened.
She said: ‘She acknowledges that what happened was entirely unpleasant.’
The court heard Connors disputed that the incident was pre-planned.
Miss Recorder Lisa Goddard told Connors her behaviour was abhorrent.
She said: ‘It is clear to me that a fight was on the cards and you attended on February 6 of last year.
‘You started to encourage others to inflict violence on the victim. The words you used were abhorrent… you didn’t stop or come to your senses.
‘She (the victim) suffered bruising, fractures and some of her hair was pulled out. She was clearly shaken by what happened to her.
‘This was to some extent, on your part, a pre-planned attack.’
The response of staff to the assault led to protests outside the school at the time and criticism from MPs.
Connors was jailed for 20 months for intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence.
She was also handed a five-year restraining order.
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