Teen girl detained over "happy slapping" death

LONDON (Reuters) - A teenage girl who filmed the fatal beating of a man on her mobile phone was detained for two years at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday in the first prosecution of its kind.

The 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is believed to be the first person prosecuted in England for a so-called "happy slapping" incident.

She had pleaded guilty last month to aiding and abetting the manslaughter of Gavin Waterhouse, 27 from Keighley, West Yorkshire .

Mark Masters, 19, from Keighley, and Sean Thompson, 17, from Bradford were sentenced to seven and six years respectively last week after admitting to Waterhouse's manslaughter.

The victim died from a ruptured spleen after being beaten by the two youths last September.

Just before the attack, the girl was handed a mobile phone by one of the attackers and told to "video this", prosecutors said.

She then approached Waterhouse, asked for money, and recorded the subsequent attack.

She was sentenced to serve a two-year detention training order.

Police said they were satisfied with the court's decision.