Pensioner beaten to death after he was ambushed by teenage girls filming on mobile phones

Three teenage girls have been locked up for killing a "particularly vulnerable" 75-year-old man in an "unprovoked" street attack filmed on a mobile phone. The girls were aged 14, 16 and 17 at the time of the attack when they pushed, shoved, kicked and punched Fredi Rivero in Islington, north London, on February 27.

Mr Rivero, a Bolivian national, was near a bus stop on Seven Sisters Road when the teenagers got off a bus and surrounded him, with the attack filmed on one of the girls' mobile phones. CCTV was played to the court, which showed the girls getting off a bus - one with a bottle of vodka, then during an initial interaction Mr Rivero made a peace sign, they walked away and then went back to him.

Mobile phone footage was also played to the court which showed one of the girls pulling his glasses off his face, then one punching him and him falling backwards.

Louise Oakley, prosecuting, said the Crown's case is "this is unprovoked violence by three young girls".

The girls are now aged 15, 17, and 17, with two of the defendants' sisters.

The oldest girl threw the fatal punch, the prosecution said.

The victim was "particularly vulnerable by virtue of his age and his ill health", Ms Oakley said.

Police found Mr Rivero unconscious on the pavement with a severe head injury and in cardiac arrest after receiving reports of the disturbance at 11.25pm.

He was taken to hospital and later died.

Mr Rivero's daughter, Carla Rivero, described him as "kind, polite, and gentle".

She said: "It wasn't my dad's time to die. His death was forced upon him by three girls.

"They demonstrated no consideration or respect for an elderly person. He was an ill, elderly person who would never hurt anyone."

The girls, who cannot be named because of their ages, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Judge Judy Khan KC said: "You can all be heard shouting at Mr Rivero as he desperately tried to get away from you.

"He told you more than once that he wanted to go home but you ignored his pleas."

She said all three girls have been through "extremely traumatic events" during childhood and adolescence.

The judge added: "This was a cruel attack on an elderly man who was completely defenceless and you showed him no mercy."

The oldest girl was sentenced to four years' detention, while the younger 17-year-old was sentenced to three and a half years' detention.

The 15-year-old girl was handed two-and-a-half years' detention.

The Met Police said officers immediately searched the area following the attack, tracking the girls down to a nearby park where two of them were arrested. The third girl was arrested at her home.

Once in custody, the girls immediately began to blame each other for the attack, the force said.

Detective Inspector Devan Taylor, who led the Met's investigation, said: "This was a completely unprovoked attack by three teenage girls, on an elderly man who was just going about his day.

"The fact they filmed the attack and found it funny is even more sickening."