GAZETTE & HERALD: Police have thanked three members of the public whose tip- offs led to the conviction of two Corsham girls who made an unprovoked attack on a pair of Chippenham teenagers.

The 15-year-olds were set upon and dragged to the ground in Chippenham High Street on March 11 2004, but CCTV images were so poor the attackers could not be identified.

PC Kane Fulbrook-Smith at Corsham police, the investigating officer for the incident, said if it hadn't been for the three people phoning in the bullies would have got off.

"If they hadn't come forward there would have been no-one arrested and the victims wouldn't have been awarded compensation because we did not have any leads," he said.

When the Gazette appealed a week after the attack for anyone with information to contact police, three residents left anonymous messages on the police line, giving names and addresses of the possible offenders.

Genna Collins, 21, of Tupman Road, Corsham, and a 16-year-old juvenile, who can't be named for legal reasons, also from Corsham, were convicted of a Section 3 public order offence eight months after the attack.

They pleaded not guilty throughout the case using the defence that they were drunk.

But six months after they were first arrested the pair agreed to take part in a video identity parade. Both victims picked out their attackers instantly, leading Collins and the 16-year-old to change their pleas to guilty on their last appearance in court on November 24.

PC Fulbrook-Smith said: "The CCTV was so poor all it showed was a mle. It wasn't good enough to make any identification of the offenders but we were fortunate to have the anonymous calls.

"Both injured persons carried out the video identification and separately picked out both offenders. This was six months after. The chances of that happening are quite slim, meaning the images of that incident must have remained with them.

"If it had not been for the members of public phoning in with names and addresses of possible offenders we would have been at a loss with the video identification. They helped to convict both offenders."

The two 15-year-old girls, who live in Chippenham, were sitting on a bench outside the NatWest Bank at around 6.30pm on a Thursday evening when the assailants launched their attack.

One victim was pulled off the bench and thrown to the ground, punched in the face and rammed into the phone box and against a wall.

PC Fulbrook-Smith said it looked like she had been hurled about like a rag doll.

Eventually the girl broke free and walked away with a friend, towards the Bridge and Monkton Park, but the attackers launched a second assault on another girl, grabbing her hair and pulling her to the ground, yanking a large chunk of hair from her head.

"They still remain wary and cautious about being out and try to be with a group of people rather than alone for fear of this sort of attack occurring again," PC Fulbrook-Smith said.

He said the girls' parents were appalled to think that ordinary law abiding members of the public could be subjected to such unprovoked violence, especially when with a group.

PC Fulbrook-Smith said: "They want to thank the anonymous callers who phoned in.

"They helped assist the police in bringing justice where it's needed."

He added: "I would just like to say a big thank you to the public who phoned in anonymously, which assisted in the detection and conviction of the two offenders.

Collins was ordered to pay £50 compensation to each victim and complete a 12-month community probation order. The juvenile was ordered to pay £60 compensation to one victim and £40 to the other and given a nine-month referral order.