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Happy slapping
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Happy slapping is the term used to describe a recent fad whereby a person, or group of persons slap an unsuspecting victim (usually women or lone men) while an accomplice films the assault using any form of video recording device, most commonly as camera phone or a smart phone. It is thought to have first become popular in South London, but it has now spread across Europe and North America.
Although the concept of filming a crime is an old one, the ease and general availability of video cameras in mobile phones means that such attacks need not be planned carefully beforehand and are more easily watched and circulated afterwards. Some political and media commentators have alleged that the craze is inspired by television programmes such as Jackass and Dirty Sanchez. Others have attempted to have the issue viewed and treated as a moral panic.
Happy slapping can often become more violent than a mere slap, and may include a strike or even a physical attack. Sometimes the assault is performed with other crimes, such as mugging and rape. Other much more vicious variations of the "happy slap" have also been reported, at least one of which has resulted in the death of the victim.
In December 2005, a 15 year old girl (who can not be named for legal reasons) and her co-defendants Reece Sargeant, 21, Darren Case, 18, and a youth, aged 17, were all found guilty of the manslaughter of David Morley near Waterloo Station, in London. Barry Lee, 20, and another 17-year-old were cleared of all charges. "The 15 year old girl had told Morley that she was making a documentary about 'happy slapping' before her gang of friends kicked him to death." [1]
In Northern Ireland groups of youths have filmed vicious attacks on firecrews. Two youths were convicted for setting fire to a man during a "happy slap" in 2005. On 8 June 2005, it was reported that a 17-year-old girl was shot with an air rifle and filmed in Wortley area of Leeds, Britain. On 18 June 2005, British police arrested three 14-year-old boys for the suspected rape of an 11-year-old girl who attended their school. Authorities were alerted when school staff saw footage from the students' mobile phones.
In Sweden on 5 June 2005, the day before the Swedish National day, there were articles in Swedish newspapers that groups of left-wing activists (AntiFascist Action, Revolutionary Front, etc) had committed attacks against neo-nazis which had been filmed. In one of the attacks committed on a crowded subway station the attack was so brutal witnesses thought the nazi-skinhead had died but he survived with head wounds. The activists had previously filmed and published a riot with police in the Stockholm suburb of Salem in 2003 ([2] about halfway into the movie).
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