Kettering girl, 13, prosecuted after town centre assault

A 13-year-old girl has been prosecuted after a shocking attack in Kettering's town centre.

The girl, who can't be named because of her age, admitted assault by beating after an incident in High Street on December 17 last year.

She was arrested after an assault which saw a 21-year-old woman punched in the nose, causing it to bleed, and kicked in the ribs at about 3pm.

The girl also admitted failing to comply with a direction given to her under anti-social behaviour laws when she appeared before magistrates at a youth court sitting in Wellingborough.

She had been excluded from Rockingham Road in Kettering, but returned to the area on January 22 this year before the exclusion period was over.

Sentencing, magistrates referred her to a youth offender panel for a six-month contract, a type of sentence given to many first-time offenders aged between 10 and 17.

They have to agree a contract of work to help them rehabilitate, aiming to prevent a repetition of the behaviour that landed them in court.

The girl was also ordered to pay her assault victim compensation of £50.