A SECOND child has been convicted in an investigation into youth violence.

A 13-year-old boy from Goring has been found guilty of two counts of actual bodily harm following a string of incidents in Worthing.

He received a 9 month referral order, two restraining orders and was ordered to pay £200 compensation at Worthing Youth Court on Thursday.

This follows another 13-year-old boy being given a four month referral order to the youth offending services, a £20 victim surcharge and £40 court costs after a vicious attack on a schoolboy and his father.

Chief inspector Sarah Leadbetter, district commander for Adur and Worthing, said it was a targeted attack and the child was left with several injuries.

The father was injured as he stepped in and tried to stop the brutal assault.

The convictions come after an in-depth investigation into “a wider picture of violence involving and affecting young people in the town”.

Sussex Police were looking into a series of shocking incidents in which children were singled out and attacked by violent groups of youths in Worthing.

Videos of some of the vicious attacks circulated on social media last year. In one clip, a group of young boys forced a child to his knees then repeatedly punched, stamped and kicked him in the head.

The video was first seen by police the day after two teenagers were stabbed in the Worthing area.

Supt Ockwell said he could not “say it is directly linked but it is another incident of serious violence”.

A 16-year-old boy was left in a serious condition after being attacked at Goring Station on October 1.

This followed the stabbing of a 16-year-old in South Farm Road, Worthing, an hour earlier.

Speaking in October last year, superintendent of Adur and Worthing Miles Ockwell said enquiries into the video led to the discovery of “a small group of young people who had been assaulting other young people in that area for a period of time".

Last month, a Sussex Police spokeswoman said that a total of “six boys arrested for offences linked to violence will be appearing at youth courts for charges of causing actual bodily harm”.