Mother heard daughter being punched and kicked by gang of girls through phone

February 9, 2019

A mum had to listen through the phone as a gang of teenagers beat up her 13-year-old daughter in the street.

Deryn Sanges was pushed to the floor, punched, and kicked in the head by a group of 10 to 15 older teenage girls.

They confronted her near a shop in the St Julians area of Newport on Saturday evening.

Clumps of her hair were pulled from her scalp and Deryn needed hospital treatment, reports Wales Online.

Hermum, Debbie Freeman, 49, only became aware of the attack after one of Deryn’s friends called her for help.

Debbie said she had to listen to her daughter’s screams as well as shouts of “kick her” and “kill her” from her attackers on the other end of the phone.

The mother-of-three said she is “terrified” of the psychological scars Deryn might have sustained, and can’t bear the thought her daughter might “lose her sparkle”.

Deryn said she had been receiving abusive text messages and phone calls from a girl for about a month prior to the attack.

On Saturday evening, the year nine pupil said she had been near a shop in St Julians with a group of about three or four friends.

She said they were about to make their way home at about 8.15pm when a large group of older teenage girls, some ranging from about 16 to 18 years of age, approached them.

“They were aggressively coming up to me saying ‘who is Deryn Sanges?’,” Deryn said.

“They were just arguing and started shouting in my face.”

Deryn said one of the older girls then pushed her to the floor.

“As soon as I got pushed, the other one punched me. Then I just remember being in the corner being stamped on.

“I just felt the kicks and the pulling.”

Deryn said she blacked out and remembers her friends trying to help her up, but they were outnumbered.

“I’m not an aggressive person,” she said. “I don’t go around looking for fights.”

Debbie said she became aware of the ambush after one of her daughter’s friends called her while the attack was happening.

“I had a phone call off one of Deryn’s friends screaming down the phone for help for Deryn as she was being jumped by 10 to 15 girls,” Debbie said.

“I could hear in the background screaming and shouting.

“My heart went into my mouth. I wasn’t there to help my baby and I listened to her being brutally attacked.

“I was there in minutes but they had all run off. The damage had already been done.”

Debbie drove with Deryn’s older sister to Beaufort Road where she said they had to carry Deryn into the car to bring her home.

The police were called and an ambulance who took her to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

“Deryn was delirious,” Debbie said. “She was sick, she couldn’t move her head or neck, her arms were limp and she lost feeling in her one leg.

“She was screaming in agony. Her head and face were swollen.”

Deryn had to have four X-rays on her neck as doctors feared she may have spinal injuries and she was kept in the hospital overnight.

Debbie claimed that since the incident videos of the attack have been posted on social media, as well as taunting comments.

“It could have been so much worse,” Debbie said. “She could have been paralysed. She could have had brain damage. Yet they were posting videos on social media.

“It makes me sick to the stomach. You hear of children self harming and committing suicide because of what bullies do.”

The family have received messages from people offering their support and sympathy for what happened.

Debbie said she has also been contacted by two sets of parents who were “disgusted” at their children’s involvement in the incident.

She said she has “total respect” for the parents who offered their apologies for what had happened.

Debbie said her daughter is still in a lot of pain.

“Deryn is still in a lot of pain and discomfort, even with strong painkillers,” she said.

“She has muscle and tissue damage. She has cuts and bruises to her body. She can’t brush or wash her hair because of the painful lumps and bumps and swelling to her head.”

Deryn has been off school since the incident but has received daily visits from her friends, some of whom witnessed the attack.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: “At approximately 9.20pm on [Saturday] 2nd February 2019, Gwent Police were called to a report of an assault on Beaufort Road, Newport.

“The incident which occurred at around 8.30pm where it is believed that the victim, a 13-year-old girl, was approached by a group of teenagers who then kicked and punched the victim. The victim has sustained injuries to her head and neck.

“Investigations are ongoing at this time.”