Three adolescent girls have been sentenced to jail for the murder of a 75-year-old man described as “particularly vulnerable” in an unexpected street assault captured on a mobile device. Fredi Rivero, a Bolivian national, was attacked in Islington, north London, on February 27 and passed away in the hospital the following day. The incident occurred as the victim stood near a bus stop on Seven Sisters Road, with the girls, aged 14, 16, and 17 at the time, disembarking from a bus and encircling him.
During the assault, the girls, now aged 15, 17, and 17, physically assaulted Mr. Rivero by pushing, shoving, kicking, and punching him, while one of them recorded the event on her phone. CCTV footage presented in court depicted the girls alighting from a bus, one carrying a bottle of vodka. Initially, Mr. Rivero gestured peace towards them, but after a brief interaction, they returned to him. Subsequent mobile phone footage revealed one of the girls removing his glasses, followed by a punch that caused him to fall backward.
Prosecutor Louise Oakley characterized the attack as an instance of “unprovoked violence by three young girls” upon a defenseless elderly man due to his age and health condition. The prosecution highlighted that the oldest girl delivered the fatal blow. Authorities were alerted to the disturbance at 11.25 p.m., finding Mr. Rivero unconscious with a severe head injury and in cardiac arrest. He was rushed to the Royal London Hospital, where examinations revealed a traumatic brain injury that led to his demise.
In a separate incident, the 15-year-old girl had previously received a referral order for attempted wounding involving an assault on a homeless woman. During sentencing, Judge Judy Khan KC condemned the girls for their callous actions, emphasizing their disregard for Mr. Rivero’s pleas to be left alone. The judge noted additional videos of violent acts on one of the girl’s phones, indicating a concerning pattern of violence.
Carla Rivero, Mr. Rivero’s daughter, provided a victim impact statement at the Old Bailey, describing her father as kind, polite, and gentle. She expressed her grief over his untimely death at the hands of the three girls, emphasizing their lack of empathy for an elderly, frail individual. The girls were subsequently sentenced to a combined nine years in prison after admitting to manslaughter. The oldest girl received four years’ detention, the 17-year-old three-and-a-half years, and the 15-year-old two-and-a-half years.
Detective Inspector Devan Taylor, who spearheaded the investigation, decried the unprovoked assault by the teenage girls on an elderly man, labeling their recording of the attack as reprehensible. He commended the public for their aid in providing assistance to Mr. Rivero and crucial witness statements that facilitated the swift apprehension of the perpetrators.