Case 20 assault with actual bodily harm
A 15 year old girl accused a fellow school pupil of spreading rumours and then assaulted her causing actual bodily harm.
This case concerns Tracy who was the subject of a 6 month referral order in respect of and assault (actual Bodily harm) on another 15-year-old girl, Samantha who attended the same school.
The case had been transferred to the youth offending team (yot) from a neighboring larger county authority.
The transfer was required due to the fact that Tracy was in a foster placement in a seaside town (where the offence took place).
the placement had broken down (as a result of the offending behavior) between the offence being committed and attendance at the youth court a referral panel was set up and the victim and her mother invited to attend.
Prior to this meeting Tracy was interviewed at her new foster placement to produce a report for the panel and to inform and prepare her for the forthcoming panel meeting. in tandem with this.
an appointment was made to visit Samantha and her mother to explain the referral order process and prepare them also for attendance at the panel meeting.
Also invited were Tracy’s social worker and her birth mother.