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VIDEO: Detective sickened by attack on Sophie
Detective Inspector Dean Holden
Detective Inspector Dean Holden

HARDENED detectives were left sickened by the attack on Sophie Lancaster and Robert Maltby.

Senior officers said it was the "one of the worst" cases they had ever dealt with.

During the horrific assault Sophie's hair was pulled so hard that a piece of flesh was missing from her head.

While Robert had been kicked in the face with so much force that lace marks were left imprinted on his face.

The couple's injuries were so bad that emergency workers were initially unable to determine their sexes.

Both were left with heavily swollen faces and bleeding from their ears and noses.

They were found unconscious and admitted to hospital.

Later, Robert recovered enough to be briefly let out of hospital to visit Sophie.

He was discharged on August 24, the day Sophie died.

Police knew who they were looking for almost immediately thanks to the bravery of the yobs' own friends who gave evidence against them.

And blood stains embedded in the trainer treds of one of Sophie's murderers helped police track the brutal mob.

At the height of the investigation around 40 police officers and staff were assigned to the case.

Detective Inspector Dean Holden said: "Ryan Herbert had blood from both victims on his clothes while Brendan Harris had blood embedded in the tread of his trainers, either because he had stamped in a pool of the victims blood or had been stamping on the victim which was consistent with the injuries.

"That forensic evidence put them both at the scene.

"Robert had been kicked so hard that lace marks had been left imprinted on his face but it was impossible to say whose lace that was."

3:26pm Thursday 27th March 2008

Print   Email this   Comment
Posted by: Care, Darwen on 6:54pm Thu 27 Mar 08
Detective Inspector Dean Holden and police officers i thank everyone of you for working on Sophie's case,
Posted by: me, Bacup on 8:06pm Thu 27 Mar 08
Well done to the police officers,u knew who everyone of em were,why werent they taken from our streets sooner???
What a result though,lets hope justice really does pay???
Posted by: Officer Dibble on 1:51am Fri 28 Mar 08
me wrote:
Well done to the police officers,u knew who everyone of em were,why werent they taken from our streets sooner??? What a result though,lets hope justice really does pay???
Your thinking of the film 'Minority Report', which is in fact fiction!!!
Posted by: Dana, Burnley on 2:38pm Fri 28 Mar 08
Finding the culprits is just half the job done. Its up to the courts to toughen up to the extreme in cases like this, by dishing out sentences that actually Deter and indeed Punish.
Being harsh is the only option. Lets hope the Judge DOES his public duty in this instance. A wicked crime like this needs an equally wicked sentence.
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