Stark warning over 'happy slapping'

There have been a number of high profile 'happy slapping' incidents

It was described as a "revolting" attack.

Two teenagers, said by a judge to typify the "young, drunken, violent yob of whom the public are sick and tired", punching and kicking Gavin Waterhouse to death.

But for his mother, Christine Wiseman, the knowledge that the brutal attack on her son was filmed made her "feel sick inside".

"I feel they devalued Gavin's life", she said.

The "horrific" footage, filmed by a 15-year-old girl, was sent to friends' mobile phones and even published on the internet.

The decision to prosecute the teenager who filmed that fatal attack on her mobile phone has been hailed as a legal landmark by the Crown Prosecution Service.

If you stand by and watch you friends committing brutal crimes and video their acts for your amusement, your actions will not be ignored Judith Naylor, CPS

The CPS said it was thought to be the first time a suspect in England and Wales had been successfully prosecuted for aiding and abetting murder or manslaughter by a "happy slapping" attack.

She was sentenced to two years' detention in a young offenders' institution when she appeared at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday.

After she pleaded guilty to the charge in February, the CPS issued a stark warning that they would not hesitate to prosecute people over "happy slapping" incidents.

Judith Naylor, from the CPS, said: "The message is this: If you stand by and watch your friends committing brutal crimes and video their acts for yours or for others' amusement, your actions will not be ignored by the law enforcement agencies and prosecution may follow."

The film of the 'horrific' attack was posted on the internet

Though such brutal incidents are rare, it is not the first time attacks which have included "happy slapping" have been brought before the courts.

The phenomenon is thought to have originated in south London in 2005.

Since then, a number of videoed attacks, ranging from school bullying to violent assaults, have been reported across the country.

Paul Fawcett, from Victim Support, said "happy slapping" victims often found it more difficult to come to terms with their ordeal.

He said: "One of the things which is particularly damaging about any crime against a person is that the victim knows that somebody has gone out of their way to hurt them.

"When somebody starts waving a camera phone around, not only have they been picked out, but actually the person filming it is doing it for their own enjoyment, and that compounds the feeling of harm.

"Being a victim of crime tends to chip away at people's belief in society.

"In these cases, not only have people endured the pain and suffering of the attack itself, but it has been filmed as well, which will really erode their belief in society."

Talent show controversy

"Happy slapping" incidents have attracted widespread media coverage.

The X Factor contestant pulled out of the show and apologised

In November 2007, X Factor finalist Emily Nakanda pulled out of the show after a video emerged showing her allegedly attacking a teenage girl.

In the incident, the 15-year-old was seen punching and grabbing the girl by the hair in the video recorded on a mobile phone.

Louis Friberg, Emily's mother, said at the time: "Emily regrets her actions but there is no way, as a family, we can excuse her behaviour."

But there have also been a number of serious violent attacks which have included "happy slapping".

In June 2007, two teenagers aged 13 and 15 admitted the manslaughter of artist Peter Ramsey, who died three days after he was set upon in Southampton.

Mr Justice Irwin at Winchester Crown Court told them: "The event was made worse by an intention to record the attack on the telephone as if to boast of it rather than to be ashamed of it."

Anderson shouted 'this is YouTube material' as he assaulted a woman

In July 2007, three men were jailed for beating homeless man, Gary Turner, to death in an incident in east London.

They filmed as Mr Turner was punched in the head as he slept on a bench. They later returned and punched and kicked him to death.

The film of the attack was shown to friends as a "form of entertainment", a court was told.

In October of the same year, Anthony Anderson, 27, was jailed for three years after admitting he had urinated on a woman as she lay dying in a street in Hartlepool.

He pleaded guilty to outraging public decency in the attack, in which he also covered her in shaving foam.

The assault was filmed on a mobile phone, and as the woman lay dying, Anderson shouted: "This is YouTube material".

In May 2005, 35-year-old Caroline Monk, who lost her hair during treatment for breast cancer, was called a "slap head" and knocked to the ground by a gang of teenagers in Primrose Hill, north London.

She said she did not report the attack for fear of reprisals.