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Mariam Moustafa

Age: 18

Sex: female

Date: 14 Mar 2018

Place: Parliament Street, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Mariam Moustafa died after being attacked at a bus stop in Parliament Street, Nottingham on 20 February 2018 at about 8pm.

Six girls were convicted of affray but no one was convicted of her murder or manslaughter. They were:

  • 20-year-old girl, given 8-month sentence.
  • 18-year-old girl, given 12-month community order.
  • 18-year-old girl.
  • 17-year-old girl.
  • 16-year-old girl.
  • 16-year-old girl.

The 20-year-old girl had had previous convictions for robbery, attempted robbery and assaulting a police officer. After the 20-year-old girl heard that Mariam Moustafa was in a coma she searched the internet for, 'I have put someone in a coma'.

Mariam Moustafa had a stroke and was placed into an induced coma 12-hours after being punched several times in the attack and slammed into a bus stop, and later died, however, the medical evidence could not reliably link the attack with her having fallen into a coma. The opinion was arrived at by four pathologists.

Mariam Moustafa had been born with half-a-heart and a few months before her death she had made a YouTube video explaining how her condition meant that she was afraid to go to college or leave the house.

She was attacked as she waited for a bus and also whilst on the bus and was left in a coma and died three weeks later. The attack was described as an ambush. The fight had started as she waited for a bus outside a shopping centre in Parliament Street. After the bus arrived she ran to get on it, but the girls banged on the bus window to get the driver to let them on board after which they went upstairs after Mariam Moustafa where they assaulted her. Mariam Moustafa's sister said that Mariam Moustafa had first been hit in the head resulting in her not being able to see but that when she saw the bus coming she ran for it, believing that the other girls attacking her would not pay the £1 required to get on.

There had initially been about ten girls in the group that had been assaulting her but only six girls from the group got on the bus. It was heard that the six girls had continued to attack Mariam Moustafa until she passed out and a man on the bus intervened.

She had been targetted in a row over a boy. It was heard that one of the girls had told Mariam Moustafa, 'I have got beef with you' and had sent a message to another of the girls in the group saying that she wanted to cut Mariam Moustafa.

The court heard that the 18 and 16-year-old girls had been the main aggressors whilst the other four had either filmed the attack or had been laughing whilst it happened. It was heard that whilst the main aggressors had been attacking Mariam Moustafa that the other girls had been saying, 'punch her more, punch her more'.

At the trial the prosecution said that footage of the attack showed Mariam Moustafa looking 'frightened, passive and, towards the end, obviously unwell'. He said, 'To call it an argument would be a mis-description as it was all one way'.

CCTV footage was also played that showed Mariam Moustafa collapsing on the bus.

The court heard that the six girls had followed Mariam Moustafa and her friend onto the bus and that her friend had done his best to stand up and defend her.

It was heard that the attack had been fuelled by social media and that video of the attack was shared on social media.

When the judge passed sentence, he said, 'It is important that everyone with an interest in this sad case should understand that the three defendants are to be dealt with for the offence of affray committed on February 20 2018. They were not charged with murder or manslaughter. They are to be sentenced on the basis that their actions, individually and collectively, did not cause the death of Mariam Moustafa. Mariam's last experience of her precious young life was facing this violence and abuse. That was wretched for her, and an awful memory for her family, which will haunt them forever. This was a confrontation. Shouting, abuse, threats and finally violence. All in one direction. There is a natural, strong suspicion that the stroke was brought on by the actions of the defendants. The conclusion was that it could not be proved that there was a causative link between the actions of the defendants and the stroke'.

Mariam Moustafa had been an Egyptian national but born in Rome. It was heard that the incident caused uproar in Egypt, with the Egyptian embassy calling for those responsible to be 'brought to justice swiftly'.

After the sentencing, Mariam Moustafa's father said, 'There is no justice in this country'. He said, 'When I hear there is no link behind the stroke and what happened to my daughter, I don't believe it at all. I feel very upset about what happened. For me, it is 100 per cent manslaughter. It [the stroke] happened after several hours, not several days. My daughter was killed, and nothing happened. I waited all this time for justice, but now I feel there is no justice in this country. I don't think we will stay here in the UK'.

Mariam Moustafa had gone to Nottingham College where she had been studying engineering.


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