LEANNE HOLLISTER AND GEMMA RITCHIE WALK FREE AFTER HORRIFIC KIDNAP AND ASSAULT
Two girls who snatched a 14-year-old and subjected her to a 14 hour kidnap ordeal have walked away from court.The sinister attack was eerily similar to one they carried out five years earlier.
Despite this, Gemma Ritchie and Leanne Hollister, both 18, escaped jail after admitting locking their victim in a house and repeatedly attacking her.
Violent Ritchie threatened the girl with a knife and encouraged two younger girls to bite, kick, burn, and punch her during the torture while Hollister stood by and watched.
Hollister also hit the girl in the face before handing her over to milkman Gary Alderson (pictured below), who indecently assaulted her.
The girl described how Alderson sat there while she had to strip and dance naked, then pulled her over his knees and hit her on the bottom, feeling horrible.
Ritchie pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and was sentenced to a 12-month Community Rehabilitation Order and 100 hours of Community Punishment, plus electronic tagging for six months from 8pm to 7am.
Hollister pleaded guilty to assault and received a 12-month Community Rehabilitation Order, 90 hours of Community Punishment, and was ordered to pay £100 compensation.
In both cases, the girls befriended victims who traveled on the Metro.
The first incident occurred when they, at age 13, captured a 12-year-old on the Metro in 2000, took her on a nightmare three-hour journey, inflicted injuries, and were caught on CCTV.
The father of the first victim expressed disappointment that they walked free again, saying they should have been sent to prison.
The girls had previously taken a 12-year-old hostage in 2000, with police comparing the case to Jamie Bulger, but received only supervision orders.
The latest victim's mother described how her daughter’s life was ruined, she tried to commit suicide, and has undergone counseling.
She questioned whose daughter might be next, highlighting the ongoing trauma.
Gary Alderson, aged 45, will be sentenced for indecent assault on March 23.
The article emphasizes that Ritchie and Hollister, first arrested at age 13, had previously inflicted severe harm on other victims, and questions how many other potential victims might still be out there.
The story also features quotes from police and family members about the severity and impact of these crimes.
