Northampton university student assaulted and bitten because she did not say 'happy birthday'

Three young women have been given suspended prison sentences after attacking a fellow student, following an argument at a birthday party.

Keona Azeez-Harris, aged 19, Alyisha West, aged 19 and Favour Odogwu, aged 19, were all sentenced on Thursday (March 17) at Northampton Crown Court after assaulting a young woman on the campus of the University of Northampton on May 9, 2021.

The court heard that the victim and all three defendants had attended a birthday party together, where drinking was involved, and the victim had not wished the host 'happy birthday.'

The defendants then got a taxi back to their university accommodation and the victim - along with another young woman - got into a separate taxi back to the same campus after midnight, the court heard.

The prosecution then described how a confrontation followed, where the victim was accused of being "rude" before she was punched in the face and her wig was pulled off and thrown onto the floor.

A CCTV video played to the court showed how the victim was punched repeatedly all over her body, put into a headlock, knocked to the floor and then had her head stamped on.

Mr Dunne, prosecuting, told the court that - at one point - all three defendants were on top of the victim on the ground, throwing punches and kicking her. The victim's friend had to drag her away for her protection, the court heard.

The prosecution added that Odogwu bit the victim on the leg - breaking the skin - and resulted in the victim going to hospital that morning, where her wound was cleaned and she was given antibiotics.

The court heard that the victim and Odogwu subsequently exchanged text messages arguing over who came away from the fight with the most injuries.

The victim, in a personal statement, said the attack caused her a great deal of anxiety and affected her confidence a lot. She said she was worried about returning to Northampton for fear of seeing her attackers again.

She said that the ordeal left her "shocked and angry" as she had never been in a fight before and could not understand why this happened over what she described as a minor incident.

The victim added that she felt threatened by Odogwu's texts and the bite mark on her leg looks like it will leave a scar, which would serve as a "permanent reminder of what happened."

Odogwu, in a separate incident on June 9, 2021, was additionally charged with assaulting an emergency worker after spitting on a police officer whilst in custody.

Mr Kendrick, defending, said that Odogwu could not recall most of that night due to being intoxicated and she was, at the time, dealing with "trauma".

The court heard that none of the defendants had any past convictions and put down their "naivety" and "immaturity" to their young age, living away from home for the first time and not behaving responsibly with alcohol.

Mr Kendrick, defending Odogwu, told the court that she transferred to a different university in London and moved back home with her parents, where she has stayed out of trouble since both incidents.

Odogwu has been assisting her parents in caring for her siblings and has given up alcohol altogether, the court heard.

Mr Kendrick said: "She is a young woman, who is doing really well at university. The impact of custody would significantly interrupt her studies, which would not help her off the path of reoffending and forming anti-social relationships."

Ms Soora, defending Azeez-Harris, said she played a lesser role in the attack, having thrown "around three or four punches," and said that she too was knocked to the floor by Odogwu after trying to pull her away from the victim.

Ms Soora said: "When the hearing was adjourned, she spent all of two hours in custody and, when she came back up, she was in tears. She was finding it difficult to cope."

The court heard how Azeez-Harris comes from a "highly respectable family" who work in the medical profession and that she has ambitions to come away from university with a first class degree.

Ms Soora added that imprisonment would cause her parents "great disappointment and shame," and have a grave impact on her future.

Mr Radley, defending West, told the court that she took on a part time job as a waitress whilst studying so that she could save £350 to pay compensation to the victim.

Mr Radley said: "I would urge your honour to see that is a good reflection of how she considers this and how she feels about the complainant. She has expressed apologies to the complainant for her involvement in this particular incident."

Recorder Timothy Green, sentencing, said: "Kicking someone on the ground frequently ends in manslaughter and murder because it can lead to very serious injuries. They are very fortunate that did not happen in this case."

West, of University Drive, and Azeez-Harris, of Boughton Green Road, were both given sentences of four months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, along with 100 hours of unpaid work.

Odogwu, of Galleywall Road in London, was handeda 15 month prison sentence, suspended for 15 months with 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.