They were walking through Lancashire’s Stubbylee Park on August 11, 2007, with their boyfriend, Robert Maltby, who is 21 years old. After a fun night out, the couple was on their way home. Around this time, they had been together for three years.
A group of teens who didn’t like how Robert and Sophia dressed or looked called them “goth” and attacked them violently as they walked by the skatepark.
Following Robert and Sophie, the teens hit Robert so hard that he passed out. As Sophie tried to protect her boyfriend, the angry teens turned their attention to her and attacked her, ki*lling her.
The teens started to hit and kick Sophie very hard. People who saw what happened told the police that the teens were “kicking her in the head and jumping up and down on her head.”
He called the police.
A short time later, the police showed up. The attack was so bad that the police couldn’t tell who Robert and Sophie were on the scene.
Robert and Sophie were taken to a nearby hospital right away. Sophie fell into a coma right away and never woke up. After 13 days, she died. Robert got better from his injuries in the end, but he will always remember what happened.
Teens Brag About the Attack
After the attack, The Guardian reported, “The killers celebrated their attack on the goths -or ‘moshers’- by telling friends that they had ‘done summat (something) good,’ claiming, ‘There’s two moshers nearly dead up Bacup park -you wanna see them – they’re a right mess.’
Police Arrest Five Teens, Suspect Others
Brendan Harris and Ryan Herbert were both found guilty of k*illing Robert and attacking him. The judge gave each teen a life sentence with the possibility of parole in 16 and 18 years.
Harris Attacks Psychiatric Nurse
Harris attacked a nurse at the psychiatric centre where he is being held while he was locked up. He threatened to k*ill the nurse and then punched him hard enough to break his nose. On top of his life sentence, he got an extra four months.
Herbert Accesses Cell Phone, Uses Social Media
Sophia Lancaster’s mother watched Herbert look at a social media account from his prison cell for two months. She believed his messages were “haughty” and “selfish,” and she found it shocking that he could use social media while he was in jail.
Herbert Receives Reduced S*entence
In 2020, a judge reduced Herbert’s sentence by one year because he had presented “exemplary” behavior while incarcerated. Herbert is eligible for parole in February 2022.
There are a lot of great true crime stories out there after you read the Sophie Lancaster story. In 2016, the Philando Castile case sent shock waves around the world. Castile was pulled over for no reason by a police officer. They had their daughter with them in the car. Phillips was shot by the police officer when he told them he had a legal gun.
Read the story of Annabella Parker after that. This terrible case breaks my heart. The boyfriend of the girl’s mother ki*lled this cute little girl.
