Murder of Sophie Lancaster

Sophie Lancaster (born 26 November 1986) was a former pupil at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School and Haslingden High School, and a gap year student planning to attend Accrington and Rossendale College to do an English degree.

She had been dating Robert Maltby, a 21-year-old art student from Manchester, for three years, and they both had a long-standing attachment to the goth subculture.

The couple's families described them as "Goths", and said: "They're both intelligent, sensitive kids. They're not the sort of people to get in trouble, but they have had problems in the past because they stand out."

The murder of Sophie Lancaster occurred in England in August 2007.

The victim and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were attacked by a group of teenage boys while walking through Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Rossendale, Lancashire, on 11 August 2007.

As a result of the severe head injuries Lancaster sustained in the attack, she went into a coma from which she never regained consciousness, and died of her injuries thirteen days later.

The police said the attack may have been linked to the couple wearing gothic fashion and being members of the goth subculture.

Five teenage boys were later arrested and charged with murder.

Two of them, Ryan Herbert and Brendon Harris were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The other three were convicted and jailed for grievous bodily harm (GBH).

A memorial fund was established in Lancaster's name, and numerous events have paid tribute to her locally, nationally and internationally.

Plays, films, art and books have covered the issues surrounding the murder.

While going home, Lancaster and Maltby were subjected to a "vicious mob attack" from "a large group of people" between 1:10 and 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, 11 August 2007, at the skate park area of Stubbylee Park, Bacup.

The couple were walking home and came across a gang of teenagers at the entrance to the park.

The group followed them and assaulted Maltby, knocking him unconscious, and then Lancaster, who was shielding her boyfriend.

A 15-year-old witness told police: "They were running over and just kicking her in the head and jumping up and down on her head."

One witness used a mobile phone to call for emergency services saying: "We need... we need an ambulance at Bacup Park, this mosher has just been banged because he's a mosher."

The Guardian reported that afterwards, "The killers celebrated their attack on the goths – or 'moshers' – by telling friends afterwards that they had 'done summat [something] good', and claiming: 'There's two moshers nearly dead up Bacup park – you wanna see them – they're a right mess.

Police said that it was "a sustained attack during the course of which the pair received serious head injuries and their faces were so swollen we could not ascertain which one was female and which one was male".

Both were hospitalised as a result of the attack, initially at Rochdale Infirmary.

Maltby's injuries left him in a coma and with internal bleeding.

He gradually recovered, but had lost memory of the time leading up to, and during, the attack.

Lancaster, in a deep coma, was placed on life support and moved to Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, then to the neurology unit at Hope Hospital (now Salford Royal Hospital) in Salford.

The hospital staff determined that she would never regain consciousness, and on 24 August 2007 her life support was terminated.

Lancashire Police arrested five individuals in connection with the attack, but conducted extensive further investigations, as it appeared that up to fifteen people were in the area and may have witnessed or participated in the assault.

The police identified the gothic dress of the couple as a possible motivation for the attack.

A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old were remanded in custody, while two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old were released on bail.

They were originally charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but following Lancaster's death the Crown Prosecution Service charged all five boys with her murder.

By 5 October 2007, after questioning more than 100 people, the police concluded that they were not expecting to make any more arrests in the case, and although 15–20 people were in the park at some point during the night of the attack, they believed that many were not directly involved, as the area was a regular night time hangout spot for teenagers.

Local residents identified the park as a spot often used by "drunken, violent yobs" guilty of vandalism and under-age drinking.

They had asked for measures to be taken about the area before the tragedy occurred.

Following the murder, residents called for improved security in the area, but Rossendale Borough Council said park rangers would be too expensive.

On 6 September 2007, the five suspects were charged with murder at Burnley Youth Court.

Three were released on bail: two boys aged 15 and 17 from Shawforth, and a 17-year-old boy from Bacup.

On 18 October at Burnley Youth Court, all five were summoned to appear at Preston Crown Court.

A preliminary hearing was held on 31 October 2007, where all five were charged with the murder of Lancaster and grievous bodily harm with intent for the assault on Maltby.

A further plea and case management hearing was ordered by Judge Anthony Russell QC for 14 December.

At the hearing on 14 December 2007, the five accused pleaded not guilty on both charges.

The judge also indicated a provisional trial date, on both allegations, of 10 March 2008.

At the beginning of the trial on 10 March 2008, all five boys pleaded guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm with intent, Ryan Herbert pleaded guilty to murder, Brendan Harris pleaded not guilty to murder, while the murder charges against the other three were dropped.