Leeds teen '˜attack' video viewed 2m times online

A LEEDS schoolgirl says she has been brutally attacked by another girl that has left her too afraid to leave her house as mobile phone footage of the incident has been watched more than two million times on Facebook.
Ellie Taffinder with her mum Caroline. PIC: Ross ParryEllie Taffinder with her mum Caroline. PIC: Ross Parry
Ellie Taffinder with her mum Caroline. PIC: Ross Parry

Ellie Taffinder, 15, of Belle Isle, was repeatedly punched and kicked in the head during the prolonged attack on Hunslet Road near Leeds city centre. The sickening attack was filmed by an onlooker and later posted online. The YEP has seen the footage but we have decided not to publish it because of the nature of the content.

South Leeds Academy student Ellie, who has suffered nightmares following the attack, said: “She started hitting me and kicking me. I was shocked and didn’t know what was happening. It’s made me feel scared because I don’t want to go out of the house. I have had flashbacks of what happened and it has made me even more frightened. I was really shaken up by the attack and I didn’t expect it at all.”

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Commenting on the video, Ellie’s mother Caroline Collett, 34, said: “I can’t watch it because it makes me feel heartbroken. She will always be my little girl. She has mates calling for her but she doesn’t want to go out. In time, I hope she will get back to normal.”

Ellie Taffinder.Ellie Taffinder.
Ellie Taffinder.

Miss Collett said many people who have viewed the video on Facebook have offered their support, adding: “So many people have contacted us saying they are disgusted at what this girl has done and saying they are sorry for Ellie.”

Ellie can be heard screaming as she is assaulted during the one-minute video, before a man intervenes and pulls her attacker away. The attack happened on Hunslet Road at around 7.30pm on April 16 as she was walking home after a trip to Crown Point retail park. A police spokesman said: “A 17-year-old girl has been arrested in connection with the incident. She has been interviewed and released on police bail pending further enquiries.”

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