Stunt girl suffers horrific burns

A jury has been shown video of the moment when a girl was engulfed in a fireball during a stunt being captured for the internet.

Mark Webb, 21, has pleaded not guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on Shelley Mandiville, 17, who suffered serious burns in May last year.

The incident happened in woodland in Hemel Hempstead known as Briery Wood.

St Albans Crown Court was told Mr Webb had broken seven neon tubes filled with petrol across the teenager's back.

Film footage 'shocking'

A camera he had set up to film the moment caught Ms Mandiville disappearing in a ball of flames.

On Wednesday, the film he had wanted to place on his own internet website called Retardz was shown in a court room where he went on trial.

Judge Findlay Baker QC warned the jury beforehand the footage they were about to see was "shocking".

Patrick Fields, prosecuting, said Mr Webb of Everest Way, Hemel Hempstead, made films intended to imitate the sort of stunts and pranks filmed for television shows like Jackass and Dirty Sanchez.

The tendency, he said, was to make films that featured "stupidity, horror and the macabre".

'Horrific burns'

Mr Fields said "It is not alleged he intended to cause the harm that she suffered. The hope was that she would emerge from the stunt unscathed."

But the jury heard Ms Mandiville received horrific burns.

By 22 May last year she had known the defendant for three months and had already taken part in previous stunts for him, the court heard.

The jury were told a spot in Briery Wood was chosen because it was damp and if anything went wrong, Shelley could roll about on the ground to extinguish the flames.

"She knew there was a risk involved in this enterprise" said Mr Fields.

Mr Fields said that the prosecution would have to prove that Mr Webb saw that there was a risk of harm in the stunt but pressed on with the enterprise nevertheless.

The case continues.