Guernsey Press

Two girls spared jail despite teaming up to attack ‘frightened’ student

Mariam Moustafa suffered a stroke which left her in a coma after the attack on February 20 last year.

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Two “violent”girl gang members have been spared jail despite teaming up to repeatedly punch a frightened Egyptian student who later died.

Mariam Moustafa suffered a stroke which left her in a coma after the attack “over a boy” on February 20 last year, and died almost a month later on March 14.

Mariah Fraser, 20, Britania Hunter, 18, and a 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named, were part of a “pack” of girls who confronted the 18-year-old victim in a violent episode “fuelled by social media”.

Mariam Moustafa
Mariam Moustafa suffered a stroke which left her in a coma after the attack and died almost a month later (Family handout/PA)

Despite branding the defendants “aggressive” and”cowardly”, the sentencing judge at Nottingham Crown Court decided not to send them to prison, saying: “The family of Mariam want the maximum possible sentence to be imposed on all those involved in the case.

“Sympathy for their desperate sadness cannot displace a proper,  dispassionate approach to sentencing in a court of law.”

Hunter was given a 12-month community order and told to carry out 40 hours unpaid work, and the 16-year-old girl was remitted back to youth court with a view to a referral order.

Mariam was punched several times during the attack near a bus stop in Parliament Street, Nottingham, at 8pm, while her friend Pablo Jawara tried to protect her.

Six attackers were charged after the incident, including three other teenagers aged 18, 17 and 16, who will be sentenced later this month.

Fraser, Hunter and the 16-year-old girl all admitted affray a week before their trial.

Mariah Fraser
Mariah Fraser arrives at Nottingham Crown Court (Joe Giddens/PA)

The court heard how two of the six, the 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old who will be sentenced later this month, were the main aggressors in the altercation, while the others were either filming the incident or laughing while watching events unfold.

Passing sentence on Friday, Gregory Dickinson QC told the three: “It is important that everyone with an interest in this sad case should understand that the three defendants are to be dealt with for the offence of affray committed on February 20, 2018.

Britania Hunter
Britania Hunter arrives at Nottingham Crown Court (Joe Giddens/PA)

“This was not an attack motivated by hostility to race or religion. It was to do with a boy.”

The judge continued: “This was a confrontation. Shouting, abuse, threats and finally violence. All in one direction.

Mariam Moustafa’s father Mohamed
Mariam Moustafa’s father Mohamed (Joe Giddens/PA)

“The conclusion was that it could not be proved that there was a causative link between the actions of the defendants and the stroke.”

Three other teenagers, aged 18, 17 and 16, will be sentenced at Nottingham Youth Court on June 19 alongside the 16-year-old girl.

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