London, England – Winnie Connors, a 40-year-old woman, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for her involvement in encouraging a group of white girls to assault a Black teenager outside Thomas Knyvett College in Surrey last February. The attack, captured on video and shared online, showed Connors instructing a 16-year-old girl and two 11-year-old girls to attack a 15-year-old Black girl as they left school.
The video footage displayed Connors actively participating in the assault, directing the girls’ actions as they viciously kicked and pulled the victim’s braids. Surrey Police reported that during the attack, the 16-year-old even tore a section of the victim’s braids from the front of her head. The incident, believed to be racially motivated, led to the arrest of Connors, the 16-year-old main assailant, the younger girls, and a 43-year-old man at the scene, although Connors was not convicted on racially aggravated grievous bodily harm charges.
The main assailant, the 16-year-old girl, fled the scene but later surrendered to the police and pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in October 2023. She was fined £300 and issued a restraining order. Another individual involved, a 17-year-old girl, also admitted to actual bodily harm charges related to the assault and to attacking a friend of the victim. However, the 43-year-old man and the 11-year-old girls were found not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Prior to the attack, a verbal dispute involving the victim’s friend and the 16-year-old’s sister escalated, leading to the assault. The victim sustained minor injuries during the confrontation. This incident sparked criticism against the school’s administration for their perceived inadequate response to the assault and calls for a parliamentary investigation.
Connors’ sentencing serves as a reminder of the repercussions of inciting violence and the importance of addressing racially motivated attacks. The case highlights the need for schools and authorities to take swift and effective action to prevent and address such incidents in educational settings.