She was innocently walking home through a park with her boyfriend when violence erupted. Sophie Lancaster was taunted by groups of youths and mocked for how she looked. She was pushed to the ground, kicked and viciously stamped on, to the point she was hospitalised and relying on life support.
It is little over 15 years ago to the day - August 24 2007 - that Sophie Lancaster's mum Sylvia made the heart wrenching decision to turn off her life support as doctors said she had no chance of survival. She died 20 minutes later. She was killed just because she looked different.
It was the early hours of August 11 when Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby came across the gang of youths in Stubbylee Park. As the young couple crossed the skatepark, dressed in their heavy boots and goth-style clothing they were subjected to jeers of "mosher", "weirdo" and "freak" as the gang taunted them for the way they dressed.
READ MORE: The mum who lost her daughter for simply being different
Within minutes, Robert, 21, was knocked unconscious. Sophie, 20, was cradling her boyfriend in her arms as the gang turned on her, kicking her and volleying her head like a football as she lay helplessly on the ground. One horrified witness told police "they were running over and just kicking her in the head and jumping up and down on her head".
As the couple were rushed to hospital with serious head injuries, their attackers bragged about "doing summat good". One boasted: "There's two moshers nearly dead up Bacup park – you wanna see them – they're a right mess" Lancs Live reports.
At the beginning of the criminal trial into Sophie's death at Preston Crown Court on 10 March, 2008, five boys pleaded guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm with intent. Ryan Herbert, then 16, pleaded guilty to murder. Brendan Harris, then 15, pleaded not guilty to murder. Murder charges against the other three were dropped.
As the trial opened the prosecution told the hearing that "Sophie and Robert were singled out not for anything they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently". On April 28, 2008, Herbert was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years and Harris life with 18 years minimum.
Passing sentence, The Honorary Recorder of Preston judge Anthony Russell QC, said the "sadistic savagery of a gang of teenagers degrades humanity itself". He described the attack as "feral thuggery" which raised questions about the "sort of society which exists in this country".
Sylvia was determined her daughter would not die in vein and launched a lifelong campaign to shine a light on hate crime and celebrate alternative subcultures. From the tragedy came The Sophie Lancaster Foundation. In its mission statement, the charity says: "The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was established as a lasting legacy to a beautiful life cut short by violence. The charity works to promote tolerance and acceptance for others – however we are different, and champions alternative people in our communities."
Throughout the 15 year campaign, Sylvia met with academics and politicians to define public policy on hate crime. In 2013, Greater Manchester Police became the first force in the UK to record and monitor crimes against people from alternative subcultures.
After meeting with Sylvia, Justice Minister Jack Straw said while he could not change the law, he would amend sentencing guidelines to make attacks targeted at members of alternative subcultures an aggravating feature when passing sentence. On December 11, 2014, Sylvia Lancaster was awarded the OBE for her work tackling hate crime. Lasting tributes have been set up for Sophie, including a memorial bench at Whitby and the Sophie Lancaster Stage at the annual Bloodstock festival.
TV and radio dramas, including the BAFTA award winning 'Murdered for being different' and Simon Armitage's 'Black Roses' have told the story of Sophie's murder. In 2021, Coronation Street ran a storyline featuring an attack the goth character Nina Lucas and her boyfriend Sebastian Franklin who later died in hospital. Writers and actors worked closely with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to retell the story and it's far reaching consequences.
Then, just four months ago on April 12 this year, Sylvia Lancaster died after a short spell in hospital. She was laid to rest beside her daughter. In a tribute, the Sophie Lancaster Foundation said: "To the team here, Sylvia was our Founder, Mum, Friend and Colleague. Her loss is profound. We also know how much she mattered to you. Sylvia’s determination to do all she could to stop prejudice and hate ruining lives, struck a chord across the world. Her passion in not just accepting difference, but loving it, was genuine. She was feisty, formidable and unforgettable.
"In remembering Sophie Lancaster, we honour two women close to us. Sophie, a young woman whose life was cut short by violence. And Sylvia, her mum, who made it her life’s work to try to stop it from happening to anybody else."
On the 15th anniversary of Sophie's death, the foundation said: "A young woman having her life extinguished for what reason? Because she was an individual and looked like she wanted to. "To all those other individuals out there who support us, who turned Bloodstock into a pink sea of love and support, who come to events and message us in solidarity, thank you. We are strong together.
"Sylvia made our work her legacy. This is the first anniversary of Sophie’s death since we lost Sylvia. We will continue to educate about prejudice and intolerance and work to shape a more empathetic world where we celebrate difference and are not afraid of it. Sophie and Sylvia Rest in Peace."
