madkins
Registered
Copenhagen Post
Happy slapping teens alarm officials
09.03.2006
Danish youth have imported a fad of recording their random acts of violence on mobile telephone cameras
Police and school officials are worried that the violent 'happy slapping' prank has taken root amongst the nation's teens. A number of instances of teens randomly attacking people and filming the attacks on a mobile telephone camera have been reported in recent days.
The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday, when three 15-year-olds in the town on Skanderborg, Jutland, were arrested.
'It gave us goose bumps to hear the victims' stories,' said John MÃÆ’ Ô�Å¡¸ller, headmaster BÃÆ’ Ô�Å¡¸rup School. 'They were hit, kicked, had their hair pulled, and the whole thing wound up on film.'
Although the attack was considered 'mild' by po
lice, they have clamped down on the happy slapping fad after several other reports raised fears that it co
uld quickly spread.
The first report of happy slapping in Denmark came on 20 February, when a 16-year-old girl was arrested in Copenhagen for having recorded her friends' attacks. Witnesses to the attacks said they appeared planned.
The attacks in Skanderborg were said to have been inspired by crime documentary programme 'Station 2', which aired an episode about the phenomenon's origins in the US and Great Britain.
'They saw it and thought 'I need to try that'. They think it's fun because they can show it to each other afterwards,' said Detective Chief Inspector Max BurhÃÆ’ Ô�Å¡¸i. 'It wasn't until we told them that they were arrested that they realised this was serious.'
One of the three arrested boys' classmates said they had planned on carrying out another attack.
After school and law enforcement official
s spoke to students in Skanderborg, they believed that the problem would come to an end.
As in other countries, happy slapping is not a specific crime. Those arrested for attack
ing others are charged with assault. People who film the attacks are charged with being an accessory to assault.
Skara Brae,
madkins
Happy slapping teens alarm officials
09.03.2006
Danish youth have imported a fad of recording their random acts of violence on mobile telephone cameras
Police and school officials are worried that the violent 'happy slapping' prank has taken root amongst the nation's teens. A number of instances of teens randomly attacking people and filming the attacks on a mobile telephone camera have been reported in recent days.
The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday, when three 15-year-olds in the town on Skanderborg, Jutland, were arrested.
'It gave us goose bumps to hear the victims' stories,' said John MÃÆ’ Ô�Å¡¸ller, headmaster BÃÆ’ Ô�Å¡¸rup School. 'They were hit, kicked, had their hair pulled, and the whole thing wound up on film.'
Although the attack was considered 'mild' by po
lice, they have clamped down on the happy slapping fad after several other reports raised fears that it co
uld quickly spread.
The first report of happy slapping in Denmark came on 20 February, when a 16-year-old girl was arrested in Copenhagen for having recorded her friends' attacks. Witnesses to the attacks said they appeared planned.
The attacks in Skanderborg were said to have been inspired by crime documentary programme 'Station 2', which aired an episode about the phenomenon's origins in the US and Great Britain.
'They saw it and thought 'I need to try that'. They think it's fun because they can show it to each other afterwards,' said Detective Chief Inspector Max BurhÃÆ’ Ô�Å¡¸i. 'It wasn't until we told them that they were arrested that they realised this was serious.'
One of the three arrested boys' classmates said they had planned on carrying out another attack.
After school and law enforcement official
s spoke to students in Skanderborg, they believed that the problem would come to an end.
As in other countries, happy slapping is not a specific crime. Those arrested for attack
ing others are charged with assault. People who film the attacks are charged with being an accessory to assault.
Skara Brae,
madkins