Girl gets two years for torture

A teenager has been sentenced to two years' detention for her part in kidnapping a 15-year-old girl, stripping her naked, beating her up and burning her body with cigarettes in six hours of torture.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons but comes from Willenhall, was 16 at the time of the kidnapping and did it because she wanted her victim to become a prostitute.

The ordeal was captured on phone video and was passed to teenagers in the area before it was viewed by the victim's mother.

The defendant, who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday, boasted to police about the attack on July 15 last year.

Satia Aujla, prosecuting, said: "The defendant is already serving time in custody after she was jailed for 18 months in August last year for other serious offences. As this happened in July, she was interviewed in custody.

"She admitted the whole thing and told police she was 'putting a lot of effort into the assault' and said 'we weren't just beating her, we were degrading her' before boasting 'I don't a know man who can take a beating like that, let alone a woman'.

"The victim was eventually let go and did not tell police until July 20."

Oliver Woolhouse, in mitigation, said: "It is fair to say that when she was telling the police what happened, she did not do herself any favours, but to her credit she was very frank and pleaded guilty. She has had a troubled life and has been hanging around with a lot of older people, and was under the influence of class A drugs at the time."

Judge Nicholas Webb said: "You kidnapped a girl of 15, who you had advised to work as a prostitute, then played a part in taking her to a block of flats, where she was beaten up, stripped naked and had cigarettes stubbed on her naked body.

"You will not be out of prison for a considerable time - I am sentencing you to two years' detention, which will run from after the current 18-month sentence ends," the judge added.