Girl Who Slashed Face Of Classmate ‎Escapes Jail‎

      Shanni Naylor

Sheffield, UK, June 30, 2006 – A 13-year-old girl who slashed a classmate across the face with a razor blade, leaving her needing 30 stitches, escaped a custodial sentence today.

The Somali girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of unlawfully wounding Shanni Naylor during an English lesson at Mirtle Springs School in Sheffield last year, when both girls were 12.

She was sentenced to a two-year supervision order after being cleared of the more serious charge of wounding with intent.

During the three-day trial the court heard that the girl had been subjected to a "vicious" assault by Shanni the day before the attack. During the earlier assault, she had been punched her repeatedly, banging her head against a wall. More than 100 pupils looked on without helping.

The following day the girl approached Shanni and slashed her across the face without warning, leaving her permanently scarred. A teacher who witnessed the assault described it as "horrendous".

Judge Alan Goldsack QC, told Sheffield Crown Court: "You have taken a razor blade with you into school, walked up to another girl in your class and, under the nose of your teacher, slashed that girl three times in the face with that razor

"Serious wounds were inflicted on the face of that girl."

Shanni's attacker had herself been "chronically bullied" for months, the court heard.

The judge went through in detail the problems the girl had suffered at the school and her difficult background. "You were the only Somali girl in your year," he said.

"You became a victim of bullying and some of it was racially motivated. Members of staff were aware of at least some of it and you were recognized as having learning difficulties that were not in receipt of an educational statement.

"You were described by one teacher as an open and friendly child but you had no friends among the other students.

"Some told you to get back to your own country."

The defendant told how she did not plan to attack Shanni, but the next day had found a blade and had only intended to scare her with it.

She was born in Somalia, and having been orphaned when she was young, spent the first 10 years of her life there and had no formal education. She had an extremely low IQ, the court heard.

A psychologist told the court the girl was likely to have been heavily influenced by a Somali custom in which women routinely settled disputes by inflicting minor scratches on each other's faces.

During this cultural practice, the women were usually left with superficial injuries.

The Judge went on to note that image of Shanni's injured face had gained extensive media coverage.

"Media interest in your trial has remained considerable, no doubt because of the public concern about the number of knives and other sharp instruments being carried into schools by pupils and then used as weapons "Many who have not followed the details of the case may express some surprise that you were not convicted of a more serious offence. If you had been, a custodial sentence of some length would have been the only possible sentence despite your very young age."

The primary purpose of this, the Judge said, would have been deterrent.

"I suspect few who have heard the evidence in this case are surprised at that verdict. Rather they would take the view it is another example of the jury system working at its very best."

Outside court, Garry Dickinson, the Naylor family's solictor said his clients had begun civil proceedings against the school alleging breach of duty of care.

"On the day in question, she went into school and came out of that lesson with 30 to 40 stitches and a horrific face wound," he said.

The family was disappointed the jury had not found the girl guilty of the more serious assault charge.

Shanni was "very very upset" he said, and there was little more doctors could do now about her injuries.

"She's a 13-year-old girl who's got horrific injuries," he said. "This is a time of life when children are very self-conscious. She's got very, very serious scarring and there's nothing plastic surgeons can do to change that really."

Source: Times Online

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