Torturer has bail appeal refused

The attack happened in a car park at the Omni Centre

A 13-year-old boy awaiting sentence for an attack on a girl who was stripped naked and beaten with stiletto heels has had his bail appeal refused.

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was detained last week after admitting taking part in a serious assault on a 14-year-old girl.

He pled guilty to attacking her to the danger of her life on 23 January at the Omni centre car park in Edinburgh.

Two girls, aged 13 and 14, have also been detained for the 45-minute attack.

The boy was on bail when he appeared before Lord Malcolm at the High Court in Edinburgh and admitted his role in the attack, but the judge said he would be remanded ahead of sentencing.

I have seen the footage, it is horrific, there is no other word to describe it Brian Gilfedder Defence solicitor advocate

During the attack, the boy, from Edinburgh, taunted the victim and filmed the violence on his mobile phone.

He told one of the female attackers to "get her naked" and encouraged them in the attack, saying at one stage: "Break her jaw".

Video footage showed the victim slumped against a wall which was covered in blood, with the boy stating: "It's like Resident Evil" - in a reference to the horror film of the same name.

The naked, blood-stained victim managed to make her way upstairs to the leisure complex after the attack in the underground car park.

She was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where casualty doctors found she was covered from head to toe in dried blood.

She was found to have six two-centimetre wounds on the back on her head which had been inflicted with stiletto heels.

She spent almost a week in hospital recovering from her injuries.

Spat upon

On Tuesday, lawyers acting for the teenager went to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh to seek his release.

Defence solicitor advocate Brian Gilfedder said he was being held at a secure school in the West of Scotland, where he is believed to be the youngest resident.

He told the judges in a closed court: "Since coming into it he has been subjected to both physical and verbal abuse.

"He has been punched, spat upon and called all sorts of names."

He said the teenager had accepted his guilt and a custodial disposal may follow, but argued there was a presumption in favour of bail until then.

Mr Gilfedder said: "I have seen the footage, it is horrific, there is no other word to describe it."

But he said there were situations where adults accused with previous convictions would have been allowed to have their bail continued.

But Lord Clark, who heard the bail appeal with Lord Mackay and Lady Dorrian, rejected the move to free him.

Lord Clark said: "We are entirely satisfied, having regard to the nature of the offence which the appellant has now been convicted, it was well within the discretion of the trial judge to refuse to continue bail."

The teenager, wearing a dark jacket and tie and white shirt, was led from the dock to be returned to the residential unit.