Police seize phones to find attack footage (From This Is Wiltshire)

Police seize phones to find attack footage

9:18am Tuesday 23rd January 2007

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POLICE have seized 16 mobile phones in the search for footage of the hammer attack on The Ridgeway School pupil Henry Webster.

It is thought the victim may have been struck up to 17 times and he has undergone surgery for fractures to his skull.

The officer leading the case has said that the 15-year-old boy was extremely lucky to survive.

In a huge operation, the police have taken about 120 statements so far.

Three youths have been charged with grievous bodily harm in connection with the attack. They appeared at Swindon Youth Court yesterday.

Prosecuting, Lynn Swain asked for the case involving the three boys, aged 17, 15 and 14, to be adjourned. Police are confident of making further arrests this week.

The 17-year-old is accused of using the hammer, while the younger pair are alleged to have kicked the victim as he lay helpless on the ground in the school's tennis courts.

None of the accused has yet entered a plea.

The 17-year-old was remanded in custody while the other two were released on bail.

As conditions of their bail, they have both been ordered to surrender their passports and have been electronically tagged.

They must abide by a curfew between 7pm and 7am and have been told not to go to Wroughton or contact anybody involved in the case.

All three are due back in Swindon Youth Court on February 19.

As revealed in yesterday's Adver, white supremacist groups and Muslim extremists have descended on Wroughton since the attack.

The BNP claims to have distributed 1,200 leaflets in the area and they say they are considering patrolling the village and manning the school gates.

Det Sgt Mark Wilkinson has called on all sections of the community to work together to prevent an attack like this happening again.

Police are still keen to hear from any witnesses to the assault. Anyone with information should call Swindon police on 0845 408 7000.

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