It would appear that our fellow Goths on the other side of the pond aren’t nearly as safe as we once thought they were from fuckwitted jackassery:

Park attack victim loses fight for life

THE 20-year-old victim of a horrific ‘mob attack’ in Bacup has lost her fight for life.Former Haslingden High School pupil Sophie Lancaster suffered horrific head and facial injuries when she and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were assaulted in Stubbylee Park in the early hours of 11 August, leaving them both in comas.

Devastated family were told earlier in the week that she would not recover and went to say their last goodbyes at her bedside in Hope Hospital, Salford.

And today (Friday) the heartbreaking decision was made to turn off Sophie’s life support machine; she died at 11.30am.

Rob’s uncle and close friend of the couple Nigel Lancashire said: ‘We are all just horrified. Both families are absolutely devastated.

‘You don’t think it can happen to someone you know; these things happen to someone else. All her friends managed to get to see her and everyone who mattered got to say their goodbyes.’

Robert, known as Rob, was briefly allowed out of Rochdale Infirmary on Wednesday to pay his girlfriend an emotional last visit. A former student at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar, he also suffered severe head and facial injuries, but his condition has improved.

Mr Lancashire described his nephew as very ‘disorientated and confused’.

He said Rob, 21, had been asking about Sophie all the time and when he saw her to say goodbye it was ‘heartbreaking’.

The couple, both of Bacup, were allegedly assaulted by a group of people at the skate park at around 1.20am after spending the evening at a friend’s house

Five youths, three aged 15 and two aged 17, have been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to the assault on Sophie and Robert; the police and Crown Prosecution Service are now reviewing those charges.

Detective Inspector Dean Holden, who described the incident as a ‘mob attack’ is leading the investigation.

He said: ‘It is tragic that this young woman has now died. Our thoughts are obviously with her family. Anyone who saw the attack or has any information should contact the police.’

Several readers voiced their horror over what happened after reading last week’s Free Press article; one claimed footage of the alleged attack had been on home video website YouTube.

A spokesman for site owners Google UK said: ‘A video of this nature would be immediately removed.’

DI Holden said he was aware of the claims about YouTube but the police had not found anything. Anyone who witnessed anything is asked to contact Rawtenstall CID on 237443, the control room on 01282 4721360 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

[via the Rossendale Free Press, further information on the BBC website.]

While I know that I normally say “somewhere in the middle lies truth” there is NO amount of childhood shit-talking that could ever justify this. The Rashomon Complex does not exist here. It is not a normal questionable scenario. This is a case of at least 5 boys beating a young man and woman so badly that both immediately wound up in comas, and neither could be identified as being either male or female due to the sheer amount of swelling that their bodies had undergone. (ponder that for a while…)

I can only wonder where the parents were that three 15-year-old children were out, roving in a gang at a skate park at 1:20 in the morning. For the children involved, I hope that they release their names, and that they have to live (or die) with the shame being broadcast across their lives like the proverbial Scarlet Letter.

I’m curious to see if the UK goes weak on them and gives them their lives because they’re children when Sophie Lancaster, and her family and friends have lost out on a life — forever.

Rest in peace, Sophie.