THREE schoolgirls have been jailed after they surrounded a 75-year-old man and beat him to death in the street.
Fredi Rivero died after he was punched, kicked and pushed outside a McDonald’s in Islington, North London, in February.
PAFredi Rivero was beaten to death in the street[/caption]
Met PoliceThe schoolgirls were captured surrounding the pensioner[/caption]
Three girls aged 15, 17-year-old sister and another girl aged 17 were today jailed for a total of nine years after they previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
In a victim impact statement, Fredi’s daughter Carla said: “It wasn’t my dad’s time to die. His death was forced upon him by three girls.
“They demonstrated no consideration or respect for an elderly person. He was an ill elderly person who would never hurt anyone.”
The court heard Fredi was stood near a bus stop when the teens got off a bus and surrounded him.
They initially walked away before returning to push and shove the elderly man as one clutched an empty bottle of vodka.
CCTV footage showed the girls unsteady on their feet brushing past Fredi’s back.
He put his hands up making a peace sign and walked backwards while the girls walked towards him.
The teens then began punching and kicking Fredi and took his glasses off, the court heard.
One of the schoolgirls recorded the brutal attack on her mobile as the older girl punched the OAP to the ground.
In the footage, she could be heard shouting “I don’t care” and “why are you chatting to little girls bruv”.
She then said: “Hit me I f***ing dare you.”
As Fredi fell to the ground, the girls shouted “chill” and “relax” before yelling “oh my God” when they saw blood.
They then began to shout at each other to “get out”, adding: “Oh my God he’s dead.”
Fredi, who had been on the way to the pub to meet pals, was discovered unconscious on the pavement.
He was rushed to hospital after the horrific assault but died the following day from a head injury.
Bystanders said the girls claimed Fredi had been harassing them but he did not appear to have done anything.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley said: “The Crown don’t accept this incident was provoked by anything the victim did.
“The Crown’s case is this was unprovoked violence on the street at night under the influence of drink.”
The girls were initially arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm but the charge was changed following his death.
When police went to the home of one of the 17-year-olds, they heard her talking to her dad about “destroying evidence”.
Tragic pensioner’s daughter paid tribute
Fredi’s daughter Carla Rivero spoke about her her father’s ill health, saying: “My dad rarely spoke about his illness and the pain he felt and he maintained his kind, polite, gentle and friendly manner.
“My dad has always been by my side every single day of my life. He was an excellent dad, kind, supportive and caring.”
She said he would always win at chess and was very fond of her pet dog.
“He had friends from many walks of life,” she added.
Carla said he had grown up in Bolivia and his dad worked for British Rail.
She added: “Friends in the local community remember dad as a kind hearted gentleman, always so polite on a daily basis. He was the nicest person you could ever meet- so kind and never bothered anyone.
“How can girls their age be out at that time. What’s failing in their ambience to conduce them to violence, to such appalling behaviour?
“What type of generation of youth is being raised?”
Items of blood stained clothing were found in the washing machine.
During her arrest, one of the 17-year-old girls blamed the attack on the other older girl – claiming “she’s the one that f***ing done this s**t”.
She added: “If he dies am I going to jail… I didn’t do nothing to him.
“My New Year’s resolution was not to get arrested this year, it’s already done, it’s not even f***ing March, I’m done with my life, I swear to God.
“I’m praying for him and his family, I’m going to pray for him cos he doesn’t deserve to die, like cool he got rude to us but he was just a person, he didn’t do anything wrong.
“He just looked so dead. I was like what the f**k I just killed someone.”
One of the 17-year-old girls has previous convictions for assaults on an emergency workers and racially aggravated harassment.
The youngest girl was aged only 14 when the attack took place.
She has a previous conviction for attempted grievous bodily harm on a homeless woman in the street in December 2024 which was also filmed on a phone.
The 15-year-old girl was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, one of the 17-year-olds was sentenced to three years and six months and the other 17-year-old was sentenced to four years
The judge refused to lift an order banning identifying the girls due to their “unusually traumatic upbringings and life experiences”.
Detective Inspector Devan Taylor, who led the Met’s investigation said: “Firstly, I would like to send my deepest condolences to Fredi family, they have showed remarkable strength throughout this horrible ordeal and are a testament to his memory.
“This was a completely unprovoked attack by three teenage girls, on an elderly man who was just going about his day. The fact they filmed the attack and found it funny is even more sickening.
“I’d like to thank the members of the public who assisted in our investigation and provided first aid to Fredi. Their witness statements were also crucial in helping us arrest the girls within hours.”
PAFredi can be seen in a CCTV image moments before the attack[/caption]
Tom BowlesThe schoolgirls pleaded guilty to manslaughter[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
