Broadstairs beach attack victim Sarah Barnett speaks out after 20 teens assault her and friends at Viking Bay
09:22, 03 July 2019
updated: 10:13, 03 July 2019
A teacher attacked on a beach by a gang of around 20 teenagers has described the shocking assault which left her with nasty facial injuries.
Sarah Barnett, 34, was sitting with friends after tidying up at Viking Bay beach in Broadstairs on Saturday evening and enjoying a swim and a barbecue.
Three of her friends were also beaten up by the yobs and needed treatment by paramedics on the sands with one woman having her head glued together after suffering a cut to the back of her skull.
The attack on Ms Barnett and her friends was the second beach brawl in Thanet on Saturday - after 50 people were involved in a fight on Margate beach.
She says they were attacked after spotting a group of youngsters aged around 14 to 16 clambering on boats in the harbour.
"We know the owners and said 'come on boys off you get'. They turned on my male friend and went for about four of us and managed to assault us," Ms Barnett said.
"I was punched to the ground by a teenage lad and two of his friends got on top and kept hitting me.
"One friend had to have her head glued together."
Police are now investigating and Ms Barnett and her friends were able to capture video footage and pictures of the young suspects which have been handed over to officers.
Ms Barnett said the group were referring to themselves as the 'B Town Boys' who "scattered" as soon as police were called.
"They arrived quite quickly, it was a bit of a blur, but they didn't manage to arrest anyone," Ms Barnett added.
"We're all in our late 20s and early 30s and we didn't fight back because we're not that kind of people and they were just kids. We we're just protecting our heads.
"I've got a black and swollen eye and a bloodshot eye. We're a bit battered and bruised and swollen.
"We didn't go to hospital and the paramedics sat us on the beach and treated us there. Thankfully we didn't have to go to hospital.
She says the ordeal has not put her off going back to the beach and carrying out other cleaning trips.
"We're shocked by it and that children so young could act that way to adults acting so passive and not swearing or in an aggressive fashion," Ms Barnett said.
"I've seen comments about it being broken Britain but I think that's an overreaction.
"We're not worried about going to the beach. We won't stop going and doing what we've always done.
"It will be nice if they get reprimanded and the gang is broken up. But it's down to the police to sort out. We've handed over a lot of information.
"Broadstairs is usually a really lovely place and in 34 years living here I've never had a problem."
Ms Barnett and her friends often visit the beach to clean up and help keep it tidy and said it was particularly messy following the heatwave on Saturday.
"We've gone down, it was a lovely evening for a swim and barbecue and a beach clean," she said.
"There was quite a lot of rubbish - about four or five bin bags. If we're down there we do a quick tidy up to help out a bit.
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