Teenager spared jail for revenge attack against paedophile
A teenage girl who stabbed a paedophile in revenge was spared jail after a judge agreed the man had been given too lenient a sentence.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC offered to pay a teenager's court fine after hearing she had stabbed a paedophile who abused her as a child through the heart.
He refused to impose a mandatory victim surcharge on the 15 year old as he spared her jail.
And he added: "If anyone tries to force you, I will pay it myself."
Bradford Crown Court heard the girl armed herself with a knife and stabbed her tormentor after she felt let down by the justice system.
The attacker, who has also not been named, was given a community sentence in 2009. The court heard her paedophile victim had destroyed her life.
The judge said the man had been punished "somewhat leniently" and added: "It is self evident that this offence was caused by, and solely relates to, the impact of the offending upon you when you were eight."
He added: "It would be a disgrace to send a survivor like you to prison."
She was 14 when she thrust a large kitchen knife into the 56-year-old man who sexually assaulted her when she was eight-years-old.
She felt the legal system had let her down when he harassed and bullied her after walking free from court.
In November last year, the girl, who cannot be identified, went round to the man's home in Bradford, West Yorks, with a knife.
She told him: "I am going to kill you," and plunged it into him in front of his two young children.
Prosecutor Heather Gilmore said the weapon entered his chest wall and cut through the artery supplying blood to the right ventricle of his heart.
The man was saved by the swift intervention of paramedics and surgeons. He was in intensive care and needed a blood transfusion.
After stabbing her abuser, the girl hugged her aunt, said: "Tell my mum I love her," and handed herself in at Trafalgar House Police station, in Bradford city centre.
She said: "I've killed someone," and immediately confessed to what she had done.
The teenager was originally charged with attempted murder but the Crown accepted her plea of guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Miss Gilmore said the girl had been "entirely destroyed" when her abuser was not jailed for sexually assaulting her and inciting her to engage in sexual activity.
He was given a community order after she had to give evidence at his trial because he denied the offences.
Afterwards, she was paranoid he was "going to get her."
The girl was later excluded from school for poor behaviour. She feared she would never get a husband and she lived her life in a bad dream, the court heard.
Her victim had been left in constant pain from the stab wound. He was permanently scarred and his children had been affected.
Elyas Patel, the girl's barrister, said: "Rightly or wrongly, this 15-year-old felt that the justice system had let her down.
"With Your Honour at the wheel, the justice system will not fail her today."
Mr Patel went on: "She was left deeply troubled and scarred. She acted in a few moments of despair and desperation.
"This is an exceptional case which requires an exceptional course.
"This deeply troubled and damaged child, bedeviled by low self esteem, is crying out for help."
She had the unwavering support of her mother who knew her daughter needed ongoing support.
Judge Durham Hall sentenced the girl to a two year Youth Rehabilitation Order with supervision.
Refusing to order her to pay the mandatory victim surcharge, he told her: "If anyone tries to force you, I will pay it myself."
Judge Durham Hall said the girl knifed the man in the chest in his home in the presence of members of his family.
"You stabbed him in the region of his heart. Mercifully, you did not kill him.
"He was saved by excellent medical intervention and has made a pretty full recovery."
The judge continued: "Why did you stab this man? Because when you were eight in 2009 he committed serious sexual offences against you.
"He was treated by the courts, with hindsight, somewhat leniently but things have changed. Now there is condign punishment in cases of this nature, in accordance with the guidelines."
Wishing the child good luck, Judge Durham Hall assured her: "Things have changed."
Teenager spared jail for revenge attack against paedophile
