A 13-year-old girl was violently attacked by 17 youths in Borehamwood as they ripped skin from her arms and bashed her head against a concrete wall while filming it all on a mobile phone, in what has become known as a happy slapping' attack.

Sarah (not her real name) was walking from a sweet shop in Farrant Way on August 9 when a girl she recognised approached her, pretending to be her friend and asked for a hug.

As she put her arms around her, Sarah heard a clicking sound. The attacker was burning her hair.

Sixteen other youths then emerged from the bushes and started heavily beating Sarah, who lay helpless on the ground as two of the attackers sat on her to stop her from moving.

They pulled clumps of hair from her head, ripped the skin off her elbows and arms with a pen knife and tried to poke her eyes out before repeatedly banging her head against a concrete wall.

The attackers then took off her shoes and socks, throwing them away before fleeing from the scene forcing her to walk the rest of the journey home barefoot.

She said: "I thought I was going to die I literally thought that was it.

"I've never been so petrified in my whole life. They just looked so angry."

Holding back tears, her mother said: "To see your child in such a state is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. She was an absolute state. I just feel totally helpless. I just don't know what to do."

Sarah has suffered at the hands of bullies for the past year and is so afraid of them, she will not even walk the five minutes home from the railway station after school.

"She has no life," her mother continued.

"She can't go anywhere or do anything. She has nightmares every night so much so, the doctor has given my little girl sleeping pills. We have all been terrorised and they're ruining my little girl's life."

A police spokesperson said: "A 14-year-old girl was arrested in connection with this incident. She was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Other people who were present at the scene were also spoken to and their details taken. The girl, who had no previous convictions, was subsequently issued with a reprimand."

Her parent or carer would have been called into the police station and the full details of the offence would have been made clear to them.

A reprimand is held on record and if the juvenile is caught committing any further offence, then the details of it would be taken into account when the penalty is considered.

"We would like to stress that if anyone suffers this type of incident or series of incidents, then they must report it to police," said the police spokesperson. "Any form of verbal or physical abuse or harassment is a criminal offence and offenders will be arrested and dealt with accordingly no matter what their age is or where the offence happened."