Drug-fuelled teenage girls subjected vulnerable man to vicious assault

Paige Sharp, 16, and Danielle Sinclair, 17, now face stiff jail sentences after admitting the "almost feral" assault on the 21-year-old man, who has a low IQ.

Sharp repeatedly punched the victim on the head and body before setting his jeans on fire, while Sinclair beat him with a metal pole before assaulting him with a vacuum cleaner at a flat in Arbroath. The shocking attack was filmed by an unnamed 19-year-old witness, who was present throughout the ordeal.

At Arbroath Sheriff Court yesterday, disturbing footage was shown before Sheriff Kevin Veal while the pair, who have both been in custody since the attack in March, hung their heads in the dock and refused to watch.

The graphic film showed the victim having his jeans pulled down while the teenagers screamed abuse at him. The film also showed him being repeatedly and viciously punched in the face, while he is heard pleading for the attack to stop.

Depute fiscal Liz Miller also read out an agreed narrative of the attack on the man.

Sharp and Sinclair have admitted the attack, which resulted in the man being taken to hospital.

Prior to the attack, the girls had been drinking and taking drugs at a house in Emislaw Drive in Arbroath where the attack took place between 8 and 9 March this year.

The fiscal said: "A rumour sprang up that the complainer had touched Danielle Sinclair inappropriately, but she was entirely unaware of anything happening, and the complainer denies it.

"Alcohol and mephedrone was taken by the complainer and Paige Sharp. When he was challenged about the rumour, he was set upon by both girls. Sinclair repeatedly punched him on the head, while Sharp punched his head and body.

"Sinclair struck him on the back and arms with a pole, in the opinion of a doctor, approximately 16 times going by the marks left on him.

"This attack caused him to fall to the ground. He picked himself up and tried to clean the blood off his face. He went to the bathroom, but he was followed in by Sinclair and Sharp. Sinclair attached the sucker of a vacuum cleaner and placed it to his eye and switched it on.

"His trousers were pulled down and it was placed on his penis and switched on.

"The complainer can be heard protesting and making noises of discomfort.

"Sharp then took a lighter to the leg of his jeans and set fire to them.

The complainer managed to put out the fire, but it must have been a terrifying experience for him."

Acting for Sharp, defence advocate Jonathan Crowe accepted that it was a "disgusting" attack.

He said: "There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for what Paige Sharp did that night. She says she feels sick at what she has done, that her behaviour was disgusting.

"But there was a background to what happened that night. The complainer told police he took two grammes of 'bubbles' (mephedrone] with him that night to share with these two girls.

"He gave 'bubbles' to Sharp and Danielle Sinclair, which appears to have had a fairly profound effect on both girls."

Mr Crowe highlighted the positive aspects of the social inquiry report, but Sheriff Veal said: "It is a glowing testimony, but does not sit comfortably with the video I have just watched. The victim was subjected to this attack by these girls in an almost feral way."

Acting for Sinclair, solicitor Billy Rennie described the attack as "sordid and squalid."

Both teenagers were remanded in custody. z