Crowborough teen sentenced after McDonald's 'rampage'

A teenage girl from Crowborough has been sentenced at court for her role in a violent 'rampage' at a McDonald's restaurant.
Police and crime newsPolice and crime news
Police and crime news

Annabelle Woodhams, 18, of East Beeches Road, Crowborough, was given a Community Order and a Youth Rehabilitation Order after pleading guilty to affray at Hastings Magistrates Court on September 20.

Police say Woodhams, then 17-years-old, was one of three teenage girls involved in a violent incident at the McDonald's restaurant in Terminus Road, Eastbourne at around 9.15pm on Sunday, April 17.

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A 16-year old boy, a 17-year old boy, a 19-year old woman and a 23-year old man who were customers and a 19-year old woman employee were subjected to vicious unprovoked attacks by kicking and punching during the incident.

Police say the 23-year-old man was eventually able to remove the girls from the restaurant, but was then subjected to further vicious attacks by the three, involving the use of a bottle and a knife.

The man was able to defend himself and disarm one of the suspects by tackling her to the floor, bringing a swift end to the violence. Police and paramedics went to the scene but none of the victims needed hospital treatment.

Shortly afterwards, Woodhams and two local girls, who are both now aged 17, were arrested and later charged.

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One of the 17-year old girls, from Eastbourne, was sentenced at Hastings Magistrates Court on October 18 to four months imprisonment, having pleaded guilty to affray and threatening a person with a knife in a public place. The knife was ordered to be confiscated.

The other 17-year old girl, also from Eastbourne, also appeared at Hastings Magistrates Court on October 18, and was given a Youth Rehabilitation Order, having pleaded guilty to affray. The CPS offered no evidence at court on a further charge of unlawful possession of a knife.

PC Nikki Desouza said: "We would like to thank all the people involved as witnesses and victims in the fracas for their support of the investigation, which helped us bring the suspects to justice.

"It is still not clear exactly why the defendants behaved as they did, but all had been drinking and this clearly helped fuel their rampage."

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