London - An 18-year-old woman who pinned an older woman to the ground during a "vile and horrifying" sex attack, was yesterday found guilty of rape. Claire Marsh (18) is thought to be the youngest woman to be convicted of such an offence in Britain.
She punched the 37-year-old victim in the face, called her a "slag", and then ripped off her top before she was gang-raped on a canal towpath. A 15-year-old boy, who tore off her trousers, then forced the woman to have sex.
Others in the 14-strong group - one aged 12 - stood around shouting encouragement as the scene unfolded shortly after midnight. Marvin Edwards (18) also raped her, London's Blackfriars Crown Court was told.
Eventually the screaming victim, who had earlier been hurled into the Grand Union Canal in Ladbroke Grove, West London, wriggled free from her attackers and made a run for it. But her bid for freedom was short lived.
The victim was then kicked and punched repeatedly and dragged naked along a gravel path, lacerating her bare skin. She escaped after a second attempt to flee, running naked more than a mile to her home.