Police have made an arrest after a disturbing video of a school girl being beaten up by two others appeared on social media. All three teenagers appear to be from the Co-op Academy in Failsworth and is said to have happened in Tesco car park.
In a shocking clip the victim is repeatedly slapped, kicked and punched by two other girls while others watch and a person films the attack. The school said today "all appropriate action" had been taken.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "Officers in Oldham have made an arrest after reports of an incident involving three girls, which had been circulated on social media.The video appeared to show two girls attacking another and police were alerted to it on the evening of January 17, 2023.
"As a result of proactive enquiries by GMP’s Failsworth Neighbourhood Team, a 15-year-old girl was subsequently arrested. She has since been released while the investigation progresses with further arrests expected to be made imminently."
Superintendent Phillip Hutchinson, of GMP’s Oldham district, said: “We would always encourage people to report incidents of this nature, whether you are a victim or a witness, and I would like to thank those who have come forward with information.
"We won’t tolerate behaviour like this and our officers have acted swiftly to investigate once we were made aware of the video.
“The victim in this case is being supported by our officers as the investigation continues – if anybody has any information on this incident then I would encourage them to contact our dedicated team in Oldham on 0161 856 8825 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting log 003316-17012023. I would like to remind people that they shouldn't be sharing this video or commenting on it as it forms part of a live investigation."
Failsworth West councillor, Mark Wilkinson, posted: "As many of you are aware, yesterday evening there was an assault on Tesco car park, involving pupils from The Failsworth Co-op Academy.
"This afternoon, I have spoken to the Headmaster - Mr Quirk. He has assured me that he is fully aware of the serious incident, and confirmed that all the appropriate professional bodies, departments and the school itself, are working together to investigate and resolve this, as a matter of urgency."
In a statement the Co-op Academy in Failsworth, said: "We are aware of a video circulating on social media. Safeguarding is our number one priority and this means we cannot comment on the content of the video. The incident took place outside of school grounds, outside of school hours but we are investigating fully.
"All appropriate action has been taken and we have involved the relevant authorities and external agencies. We are committed to our cooperative values and firmly stand against all forms of violence and hate speech."
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