A 15-YEAR-OLD girl who punched another girl in the face has been given an extra six-month binding-over order – and warned: ‘You can’t go around punching people.’
The Youth Court yesterday heard that the teenager, who cannot be named, was told that the other girl had made nasty comments about her, and admitted: ‘I wanted to batter her.’
When she saw the girl by chance in Liberation Square she confronted her and then hit her, leaving the victim with reddening to her face but no bruise or other injury.
Legal adviser Samantha Morris, prosecuting, said the teenager had already been subject to a binding-over order at the time, imposed this year for a string of other offences, including shoplifting, malicious damage, being drunk and disorderly, assaulting police officers and using abusive language.
Advocate Lucy Marks, defending, said: ‘She does realise that acting like this will get her in trouble and before the courts.’
The advocate said that drinking had been partly to blame but added: ‘The alcohol abuse has stopped.’
The Magistrate, Bridget Shaw, said: ‘You have to remember that you can’t go around punching people.
‘Not only is it bad for your victim, but it’s bad for you as well.’
As well as the binding-over order, the Magistrate imposed a restraining order, banning the teenager from having any contact with the victim.
