Teenager jailed for girl torture
A Kidderminster teenager has been locked up for six-and-a-half years for using a makeshift flamethrower to set fire to a girl's hair in a four-hour "torture" attack.
A Kidderminster teenager has been locked up for six-and-a-half years for using a makeshift flamethrower to set fire to a girl's hair in a four-hour "torture" attack.
Wynette Darkes, aged 17, of Lion Street, set fire to Katy James' hair using an aerosol can in a sustained attack involving three other flatmates.
She also held a kitchen knife to the 18-year-old's head, stubbed out cigarettes on her body and stuffed a soiled nappy into her mouth in the incident in March..
Darkes and Hayley Kirby, aged 18, James Smale, aged 17, and Robert Hart, aged 18, pleaded guilty to one charge of causing grievous bodily harm and one charge of perverting the course of justice.
Darkes and Kirby were detained in youth custody for six-and-a-half years while Smale and Hart were ordered to be detained indefinitely for public protection.
They cannot be considered for parole until they have served at least three years and three months behind bars.
Judge Alistair McCreath said: "You inflicted degrading, humiliating and serious injuries. Miss James' ordeal lasted four hours and in ordinary language can be described as torture. There must be significant sentences for this unspeakable and wicked behaviour."
