Father of teen girl bashed at Gold Coast calling for ‘punishment’

Police say up to eight teenage girls could have been involved in the brutal public bashing of a girl that was captured on video and circulated on social media.

Up to eight teenage girls could soon face charges after a 16-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted, in what police have described as a “disturbing” and “confronting” attack on a busy tourist strip.

Gold Coast Detective Inspector Paul Fletcher said some of the girls and the victim involved in the melee on Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise on Saturday night were known to each other.

“She (the victim) was walking with friends through the mall area, where she was approached by a group of eight juvenile females, some of these females were known to the victim,” he said.

“These female juveniles have then started to assault the victim by punching and kicking her to the ground.”
The victim was treated at Gold Coast University Hospital for facial injuris before she was later released.

Detective Inspector Paul Fletcher speaks to media about the alleged assault of a 16-year-old girl at Surfers Paradise Tuesday. Picture: Supplied

The attack was captured on video and shared across social media.

The video shows a group of girls kicking and punching the girl in a frenzy and grabbing her by her hair.

“Our digital intelligence team is scouring social media platforms for further evidence and to get these images taken down off the platforms,” Inspector Fletcher said.

Inspector Fletcher said “a number of suspects” were assisting police and he expected charges to be laid on Tuesday night.

“To have this level of attack, which appears unprovoked at this stage, is out of the ordinary,” he said.

“It was quite confronting and quite disturbing to see the ferocity of it.”

Inspector Fletcher said the girls were aged between 12 and 16.

The police are scouring social media for evidence in their investigation. Picture: 9 News.

The father of the victim has called for those responsible to be “punished”.

“It’s so hard to see as a father,” he said.

“I am very angry. I want justice.

“It doesn’t matter if they are kids or they are adults

“They have to be punished.

“Otherwise they do again and keep going again and again.”