FOUR children have been sent to young offenders' institutions for a total of almost eight years for carrying out a "torture" attack on a fellow schoolboy at a Sussex station.

Relatives of the two girls and two boys gasped in shock as their children were ordered to be detained for the attack in December 1997.

The victim was robbed of 42p after being set upon by the two girls, then aged 13 and 14, and a boy of 13 at Southwick rail station.

Later the three child muggers were joined by a fourth pal, aged 16, who arrived by train.

The gang punched and kicked the victim, hit him with a plank of wood, whipped him with a metal chain and rammed him with his own bike.

When passengers got off trains the gang surrounded their victim and pretended he was drunk.

The victim had been travelling home after spending the evening putting up Christmas decorations when he was attacked by the gang, whom he had asked the time of the next train.

His coat was taken off him and thrown onto the railway tracks, and one of the girls scratched his face with her nails.

Following the assault he staggered into a nearby pub where the alarm was raised, Lewes Crown Court was told yesterday.

He spent five days in hospital and was treated for cuts and bruises.

The court heard that one of the youths gave herself up after a few days and the victim picked out the others from identity parades.

The older girl, now 16, admitted assault and false imprisonment. The younger girl, now 15, admitted assault and robbery.

The younger boy, now 14, admitted assault and robbery. The older boy, now 17, was convicted of assault and false imprisonment following a trial.

During the trial the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court: "I am not very good at sticking up for myself."

The court heard that although the older boy took part in the attack he helped the victim by stopping the worst excesses. He threw away the chain which had been used to whip the victim and also disposed of a broken bottle which at one stage could have been used as a weapon.

He was sentenced to 21 months in a young offenders' institution while the others were given-two year detention orders.

Sentencing the youths, Recorder Charles Byers said the victim "was subjected to what can only be described as torture".

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