Fredi Rivero begged ‘I just want to go home’ as laughing teenagers punched him to the ground in horrific assault
Three teenage girls who filmed themselves brutally attacking a 75-year-old grandfather at a bus stop have admitted killing him in a sickening assault that shocked even hardened police officers.
Fredi Rivero, a Bolivian national described as a “much-loved father,” was surrounded, punched, kicked and tormented by the girl gang who got off a bus to target him in an unprovoked attack on Seven Sisters Road in Islington, north London.
In a chilling detail that highlights the callousness of the assault, one of the teenagers filmed the entire attack on her mobile phone while the pensioner begged them to stop, pleading “I just want to go home.”
The girls, aged 15, 16 and 17, appeared via video link at the Old Bailey on Thursday before Judge Judy Khan KC, where they pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
DEVASTATING PUNCH CAUGHT ON CCTV
As part of the police investigation, officers recovered CCTV footage of the assault in which the oldest girl was seen to punch the victim in the head causing him to fall backwards.
The fatal blow came when the 17-year-old delivered a punch to Mr Rivero’s face that sent him crashing backwards onto the pavement, cracking his head on the concrete in an injury that would prove fatal.
Police were called at 11.25pm to reports of the disturbance and found Mr Rivero unconscious on the pavement with a severe head injury and in cardiac arrest.
The pensioner was rushed to the Royal London Hospital where he died the following day, February 28.
‘BEWILDERED’ VICTIM TORMENTED FOR ENTERTAINMENT
Prosecutor Caroline Benjamin told the court how the teenagers had deliberately targeted the vulnerable pensioner in what appeared to be the latest in a series of attacks on homeless and vulnerable people.
“Footage shows the three defendants jointly pushed and shoved the victim, who appeared to be bewildered.”
In heartbreaking scenes captured on CCTV, “He backed away. All three were shouting, and his back was against the shop door. One removed his glasses.”
The court heard how the 16-year-old girl kicked Mr Rivero in the leg, then the 17-year-old punched the victim to the face.
FAMILY’S COURTROOM AGONY
Mr Rivero’s daughter, ex-wife and cousins attended court for the hearing on Thursday, forced to watch as the three teenagers admitted responsibility for killing their loved one.
Police have described Mr Rivero as a “much-loved father” whose family were “devastated by his death.
The devastating impact on his family was evident as they sat in the public gallery listening to details of his final moments.
GIRLS WERE ALL IN CARE
In a troubling revelation, the girls, who were all in care prior to the killing, had apparently been involved in previous attacks on vulnerable individuals.
The teenagers cannot be identified due to their ages, with reporting restrictions in place to protect their identities despite the serious nature of their crime.
FIVE-MINUTE TORMENT
The court heard how the attack unfolded over several terrifying minutes near a McDonald’s on Holloway Road.
“From the footage, all three of them surrounded him and engaged him. It is not clear what was said.”
Then they walked out of sight of the CCTV, returning five minutes later. They pushed and shoved the deceased.”
The sustained nature of the assault, with the girls leaving and returning to continue their attack, demonstrates the deliberate and prolonged torment inflicted on the elderly victim.
REMANDED TO CUSTODY
Judge Khan ordered reports and remanded the defendants into custody to be sentenced on September 5.
The three girls, who appeared from youth custody facilities, showed no visible emotion as they entered their guilty pleas via video link.
POLICE RELEASE FINAL IMAGES
In a poignant reminder of the human cost of this senseless violence, police released images of Mr Rivero in the moments before the attack, showing the pensioner going about his evening before his life was cut short.
The case has sparked renewed concerns about youth violence and the targeting of vulnerable members of society, with the filming of the attack adding an extra layer of cruelty to an already horrific crime.
As the teenagers await sentencing in September, Mr Rivero’s family are left to grieve a beloved father and grandfather whose only wish that February night was to go home.
