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£50 - the price of justice
£50 - That's the price to pay for kicking a man in the head and beating up his son.
The wife of a brave Leyland man who suffered a fractured eye socket, broken nose and three cracked ribs protecting his family, today slammed the 'terrible' sentences given to his child attackers.
Eight months after the vicious assault on Mark Woodburn, 37, from Downham Road, and his teenage son Billy, three youths from Moss Side have finally been sentenced.
But with two 16-year-olds and 15-year-old receiving supervision orders and minimal compensation payouts, Mark's wife and Billy's mum, Alexandra Woodburn, said: "There's nothing to stop them doing it again."
She explained: "Every single day you see something else in the news about these type of incidents. We were lucky Mark wasn't killed from the blows to his head.
"He's a decent, hard-working man trying to defend his family. All they got was a slap on the wrists.
"I sincerely believe kids who are involved in this type of crime should be named and shamed."
This month, two 16-year-olds and a 15-year-old, all from the Moss Side area of Leyland, were convicted at South Ribble Youth Court of assaulting Mark. They can't be named for legal reasons.
The first offender was told to pay 50 compensation to Mark, 50 to Billy, 100 costs and was given a 12-month supervision order.
The second young criminal was ordered to pay 50 compensation to Mark, 15 for destroying a fence panel, 50 to Alexandra, and 100 costs. He was also given a 12-month supervision order.
The third was given a three-month youth referral order.
The incident started after Alexandra phoned Mark, a mechanic at Walton Summit, telling him to come home because she was scared of the mob outside their house.
But after initially chasing them away on to a nearby play park, Mark was rounded on.
Billy, 16 at the time, had his hand broken after jumping in to help his dad. They were overpowered, but Mark clung on to one of the yobs until the police arrived.
Tearful Alexandra, 35, recalled the fateful night.
"I remember approaching that alleyway not knowing what I was going to find, you just fear the worst.
"Mark was covered in blood, his nose smashed, with Billy full of blood too. It doesn't go away.
"The sentencing is terrible, I feel sorry for the police for all the hard work they put in.
"As a family we are very close and we do everything to not let it affect us, but I think Mark would still think twice about running after a gang of kids again."
For the full story see this week's Leyland Guardian - out now
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Weather for Leyland
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
