Teenagers jailed for transphobic attack in Harrow

A group of teenagers who lured a transgender 18-year-old woman to a car park and assaulted her in a pre-planned attack have been jailed today.

Summer Betts-Ramsey, 20, Bradley Harris, 18, Camron Osei, 18, Shiloh Hindes, 18, and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named because of their age, punched, kicked and stamped on the victim in a group attack last February, leaving her with serious injuries, including nine stab wounds inflicted by Betts-Ramsey.

At the Old Bailey today (16 January 2025), Betts-Ramsey was sentenced to four years and six months' imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent. She will also serve an extended period of four years on licence.

Harris, Hindes and Osei were each sentenced to three years' detention at a Young Offender Institution for the same offence.

The 17-year-old youth was given an 18-month Youth Rehabilitation Order.

Another 17-year-old youth who assaulted the victim and stole her bag was also sentenced to an 12-month Youth Rehabilitation Order for robbery.

The CPS successfully applied for tougher sentences to reflect the attack was a transphobic hate crime.

The group had arranged to meet with the victim to go to a roller disco at Harrow Leisure Centre on 10 February 2023, but in reality, a plan had been hatched between them to beat her up.

There was animosity between them because the group felt that the victim had lied about her transgender identity. Despite the victim apologising and feeling that the matter had been resolved, members of the group began engineering a fight between her and Betts-Ramsey.

When the victim arrived at a bus stop to attend the roller disco, she was beckoned to follow the group towards a car park where she was immediately set upon with a tirade of punches and kicks and stabbed nine times by Summer Betts-Ramsey, with a knife she had brought to the scene.

David Siebler, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was an appalling pre-planned and vicious group assault, leaving the victim needing hospital treatment for the injuries she sustained.

“Careful analysis of messages and phone records, including Snapchat exchanges using transphobic language to describe the victim, proved the attack was a hate crime, and we successfully applied to the court to increase the sentence passed today.

“The Crown Prosecution Services works closely with the police to ensure that perpetrators of hate crimes are brought to justice.”