0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some violent scenes from the start and some bad language.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Violence on the streets of the UK.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12But this time, it's girls fighting in Belfast.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Police have appealed for an end to prearranged teenage fights
0:00:16 > 0:00:18organised on social media.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20SHOUTING
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It happened right here in the middle of the city centre
0:00:22 > 0:00:25and had been plastered all over Facebook.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Something like 200 people turned up to watch.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I live only about half a mile from the scene of that fight.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39But it's not just a local problem.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44These scenes were filmed in north-east London in October.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45BLEEP
0:00:45 > 0:00:46BLEEP
0:00:46 > 0:00:49No fighting, come on. Peace.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51No fighting.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Fights between girls broke out at festivals.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'Let's start today with this video...'
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Even celebs seem to be getting in on the action.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'..which appears to show Jay Z being hit
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'and kicked by Beyonce's sister in a lift.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:14In this film, I'm setting out to meet some of Britain's violent women,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16to find out what's provoking them.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Are us girls getting angrier?
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And if so, why?
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Fight, fight, fight. Oh!
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Yeah!
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I'll talk to women who've used knives.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I don't even like saying it. Um, I stabbed my own sister.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40I'll see if I can get a taste for fighting.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45- You were going out three nights a week and you were ending up in a police cell three nights a week?- Yes.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50And I'll speak to a man whose wife is on trial for stabbing him.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The sensation, it was like just an instant heat on my arm sort of thing,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55and you could feel it sort of running down your arm.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59- Did you know what had happened? - No, no, I said, "What have you done? What have you done?"
0:02:01 > 0:02:05We've got a verdict. It's tense, very tense.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21Whoo!
0:02:23 > 0:02:26My first stop is Leeds.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30A typical UK party city.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The peak time for violence in the city centre
0:02:34 > 0:02:37is between midnight and 5am.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40If you're out on a night like tonight and you're really drunk,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43you are much more likely to get a punch or even to throw one.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53And more and more women are getting involved in the fighting.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58The rings on their fingers, they've spun them round and slapped people.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- Really?- And then tore the cheek. Scratched the cheek, drew blood.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- A woman tried to bite my thumb off. - Tried to bite your thumb off?- Yes.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11What's the worst kind of girl violence thing you've seen?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13I think it was my mate getting a stiletto stuck in his head.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- He got a stiletto in the head?- Yes.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Was he damaged, injured...badly?
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Oh, he had to go to hospital and get some stitches.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23It was actually hanging out of his head.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28I've had fights where I've split girls up
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and they're still trying to smack each other, and I've been smacked.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Some of the stuff I have seen, for females to be doing that,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I think it is absolutely disgusting.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Two of the most experienced door staff in Leeds are women.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49You see lots of violent domestics, I've noticed in Leeds,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51you know, with women hitting the bloke.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I've seen that quite a few times.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56In fact, I had one a couple of weeks ago when I was working up the top.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59She was actually knocking seven bells out of him,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01- but people were just walking past. - No-one stopped?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04No, because I think people just assume,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06because it is a girl, it is not going to hurt.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08# S Club
0:04:08 > 0:04:10# There ain't no party like an S Club party
0:04:10 > 0:04:12# We're gonna show you how... #
0:04:12 > 0:04:17And if things are getting worse, there's one obvious factor to blame.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20More of us girls are drinking heavily
0:04:20 > 0:04:25and the bars have become far smarter when it comes to selling us booze.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I'm here to see how they do it.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35'It is great fun, but there's no doubt about it,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37'that place is set up for drinking.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40'Every screen in the place has two-for-one offers.'
0:04:40 > 0:04:43But...the most notable thing was
0:04:43 > 0:04:47there was a girl on the dance floor with a tray of Jagerbombs, selling them.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51So I didn't even have to leave the dance floor to be able to get drunk.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00'For Izzy Sorley, getting drunk and getting into fights
0:05:00 > 0:05:02'has become a way of life.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08'She's only 24, but she reckons she's got around 30 convictions for
0:05:08 > 0:05:13'alcohol-related offences, including six assaults on police officers.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22'And it all started here in Leeds when she was a student.'
0:05:22 > 0:05:26On a normal night, when you're in full flight as a student,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28what were you drinking?
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Well, I would preload before I went out.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- So I would normally have a litre of vodka.- How much?- A litre of vodka.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- A full litre of vodka?- Yeah, yeah.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Or, like, I don't know, cider or stuff like that.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43And then it would just be literally what was ever cheapest
0:05:43 > 0:05:45at the bar.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Izzy's nights always ended up here on Call Lane.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- Have you ever been on Call Lane when you're sober?- No.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Normally be, like, staggering everywhere,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03not being able to stand, throwing up, just trying to get in to as many bars as possible.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- Really?- It is really weird being here sober.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11I think everyone has a night where they totally overdo it,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15they end up being sick and going home early or forgetting the night,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- but not every night.- I know. That was the really bad thing.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23I just couldn't seem to break that cycle of waking up in a police cell.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25I would obviously intend to go home.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27I'd be, "Right, I'm actually making it to my bed tonight,"
0:06:27 > 0:06:29but it never happened.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Because every time I went out, I was getting arrested.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39'Izzy was eventually banned from all pubs and clubs in Leeds.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43'She graduated and moved back home to Newcastle.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'But she didn't stop drinking
0:06:45 > 0:06:49'and her crimes were about to hit the headlines.'
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Isabella Sorley, who is 23,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54pleaded guilty to sending the messages in July last year.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It resulted in a 12-week prison sentence
0:06:58 > 0:07:00under the Malicious Communications Act.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Izzy was prosecuted for her part in the online harassment
0:07:05 > 0:07:07of a feminist campaigner.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12'At 2.25am, she tweeted to Caroline Criado-Perez,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15'"Fuck off and die, you worthless piece of crap.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20'"You're pathetic, kill yourself before I do. Go die.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23'"Rape?! I'd do a lot worse things than rape you."'
0:07:27 > 0:07:31What Izzy said on Twitter to that campaigner
0:07:31 > 0:07:36is unimaginably vicious and heartless,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and when you read them, or when I read them,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42you'd imagine that these are from a violent, dangerous man.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45And they weren't. She's a young girl in her twenties.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49And...I'm really keen just to hear
0:07:49 > 0:07:51what she has to say
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and how she can explain doing something like that.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03Izzy says she was drunk and doesn't remember posting the abuse.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08She found out the morning after when she checked her Twitter account.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12I've done some bad stuff before, drunk.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15But when it's typed down, you've got evidence of what you've said.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18I was disgusted and I had to go back and think,
0:08:18 > 0:08:19"Oh, dear, I've sent that."
0:08:19 > 0:08:20I was violently sick.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24It was either down to too much alcohol the night before or a mixture of both,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27the fact that I'd sent those vile stuff to another woman.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30But Izzy's involved in physical violence, too.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Just two weeks ago, she was arrested
0:08:33 > 0:08:37for racially aggravated assault of a hospital security guard.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- You woke up in a police cell? - I woke up in a police cell, yes.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43And what did they say to you? Did you know why you were there?
0:08:43 > 0:08:47I had no idea. I didn't even know what police station I was at until I asked them.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51They sort of said, "You're here for racially aggravated assault," and I was like, "What?"
0:08:51 > 0:08:53I couldn't have been more surprised.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56I said, "I can't emphasise enough, I am not racist."
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I wouldn't purposely go up to someone and hit someone.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01I am not really a violent person in that way.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03I don't know if you can say, "I'm not a violent person,"
0:09:03 > 0:09:07when you have got a string of assaults against police officers.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10One morning you could wake up in a cell and they'll say,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12"Izzy, this time you killed someone."
0:09:12 > 0:09:14That's the worrying part.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18That I could kill someone or I could be killed on a night out.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Unfortunately, alcohol just turns us.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25I'm trying to deal with the psychopath that is inside me when alcohol is there.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29But is alcohol really powerful enough
0:09:29 > 0:09:33to change someone's personality in the way that Izzy claims?
0:09:40 > 0:09:44I've decided to find out with a home experiment.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49What affect does alcohol have on me?
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And does it make me more inclined to fight?
0:09:54 > 0:09:58I'll be taking my blood before and after alcohol
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and sending it off for testing to see what science has to say.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04It's just after 9.30am in the morning
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and I've done my first test, blood test, of the day.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11But in preparation for the next one,
0:10:11 > 0:10:16I have to drink two 35ml measures of whisky.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32My body is like, "What's going on?"
0:10:37 > 0:10:38Last bit.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Two shots later and I'm feeling the effects.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50I definitely feel slightly dulled. Slightly warmer.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55We should go to a disco, though!
0:11:03 > 0:11:06But no disco for me. I'm going straight to the fight.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14After my whisky breakfast, I'm mad enough to agree
0:11:14 > 0:11:18to get in a ring with Leah McCourt, a trained cage fighter.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26First, a quick blood test to see how my body has reacted to the alcohol.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41No matter how much I drink,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44I'm pretty sure this will never be my sport.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56OK.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Finally.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09The results are in.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14I discover that what's changed in my body is the level of testosterone.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19This is a hormone which is higher in boys than in girls
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and scientists link it to aggressive behaviour.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29The first line is my normal level,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32based on tests from the day before with no alcohol.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36But look what happens when I drink.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41The expectation was that my level of testosterone might go up
0:12:41 > 0:12:45even further when I fought Leah but, in fact, it went down.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Proof that I'm basically a terrible fighter.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55And there's an extra hit for some girls.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59If you're on the pill,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01alcohol causes an even greater rise in testosterone.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- I need my arm back.- What?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16It's pretty clear to me that Izzy needs to stop drinking
0:13:16 > 0:13:19if she wants to stop getting into fights.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23How was your night last night?
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Do you know, I'd just let in these four big blokes...
0:13:27 > 0:13:31I've asked two bouncers I met in Leeds to help me out.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34..five foot one, weighing about three stone, starts chomping
0:13:34 > 0:13:36because he's been kicked out.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40These two deal with binge drinkers like Izzy every day.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49So can they persuade her off the booze?
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- Hi, how are you?- I'm good. You?- Good. You know the score for now, who we're going to meet?
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Yes. Two bouncers from Leeds.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Have you met them sober before? Or any bouncers sober before?
0:13:59 > 0:14:03- I don't think I've ever encountered a bouncer sober.- Really? How are you feeling about it?
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- Really apprehensive, especially about one of them.- Why is that?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09We have definitely encountered each other before.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Whether she remembers me, I don't know. But I remember her.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14- OK. Let's see how we get on.- Cool.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20That fight last night was quite entertaining.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23You didn't do any headlocks, did you? Cos they're illegal now.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- Hello.- This is Izzy.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- Hi.- This is Terry and Tracey.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Even when outnumbered and the smallest person in the room,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Izzy comes out fighting.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38- Remember the time you smacked us in the face?- Mm?
0:14:38 > 0:14:42You and another lad dragged me from the courtyard...
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I didn't smack you in the head.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46How long did you take me off my job?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48That's not the point, though, is it.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Two hours. You would not listen.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54You are the worst person I have ever met in drink.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I remember once you'd just been sick.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02You did shots at the bar and you just vomited all over the floor.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03In the bar?
0:15:03 > 0:15:05See, I can't even remember that.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11The mood changes and Izzy begins to open up
0:15:11 > 0:15:13about her problems with drink.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16My crimes have escalated since Leeds.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19In Leeds, it was just drunk and disorderly.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21In Newcastle, it has turned into assaults.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23You have to stop drinking.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25You need to get some help.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Like, not one or two. You can't do one or two.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Same as I can't do one or two cigs
0:15:30 > 0:15:33or I'm going to smoke 40 at the end of the week.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36You can't do one or two drinks. It's got to be no drinks.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40I've lost four jobs now through alcohol. I lost my flat. I nearly ended up being homeless.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44If I didn't have social support and family, I would have been on the streets.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46You can turn it round, though. You don't have to be like that.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51I just hope that you don't go away from this opportunity
0:15:51 > 0:15:54and throw yourself back into where you were,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56because clearly you've got a lot more about you
0:15:56 > 0:15:58than you seem to think you have.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I feel a lot calmer now. I feel better now.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I apologise for how much of a twat I was.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- I'm not an enemy.- I know.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21Despite the good advice, I wonder if Izzy really can stay off the booze.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24The difficult thing with Izzy is that she says all the right things
0:16:24 > 0:16:29and then she makes the same mistake again.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Next week, she's going to find out
0:16:32 > 0:16:35whether or not she's going to be charged with a violent crime
0:16:35 > 0:16:39that could mean, if she's guilty, she goes down for two years.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42And I don't think she gets how serious it is.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46I don't think she's actually let herself think about
0:16:46 > 0:16:48how much trouble she could be in.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It's not just drunken fistfights
0:17:00 > 0:17:03where girls can get into serious trouble.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08In the last 12 months to April, police recorded 13% more assaults
0:17:08 > 0:17:12with knives than in the previous year in England and Wales.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Girls who are involved in the worst kind of crimes,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23the kind of crimes that have guns or knives involved,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26tend not to talk about it, for pretty obvious reasons.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28But the girl I'm about to meet now has written a book
0:17:28 > 0:17:32about what she did when she was younger, about 13 or 14 onwards.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35She lived on this estate and from what I've read,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37she terrorised people.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42"What's it like stabbing someone? It's like this.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47"You can feel yourself breaking the skin. That's the moment.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49"That's the moment that matters.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52"Until then, it's just like prodding a piece of meat.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54"When you poke it, you can't feel anything back.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58"It takes some force to get beyond that. You'd be surprised."
0:18:02 > 0:18:03A lot of memories...
0:18:05 > 0:18:07..that I've kept from this particular place.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Not particularly good ones.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Tracey had a difficult childhood.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Her father was jailed for rape.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Her mum was a manic depressive.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Her violence started in the home.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I'm ashamed about everything, but this...
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Seriously, I never like saying it. I stabbed my own sister.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33- You stabbed your sister?- Yes.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40The thing is, when you grow up in a household that's got violence in it,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43as siblings when you start warring with each other,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46you almost dismiss the fact that you're family
0:18:46 > 0:18:48and you take it really serious.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Like, you'd actually bring your sibling out
0:18:51 > 0:18:53and offer them a full fight.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Fisticuffs.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59My sister, while my brother had me in a headlock,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01she bit me on my side.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02That hurt.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04I'm now not fighting or anything.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08I'm in a position where I can't really move and you've taken a big bite out of my side.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10So I was like, right, cool.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I just remember thinking, let me give her time, because I know where she's going.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Let me give her time to walk to the bus stop, make her way home,
0:19:16 > 0:19:21and I just got a knife from the kitchen drawer and I just skipped down after her and I stabbed her.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Who else did you stab? How many people, do you think?
0:19:34 > 0:19:36I would say about...
0:19:37 > 0:19:38..three.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45It wasn't long before Tracey graduated to serious organised crime.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Do you think it was easier or harder being a girl that was violent,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55badly behaved, getting in trouble with the court and the police?
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Yes, it's definitely easier to be a girl living the lifestyle of crime
0:19:59 > 0:20:02because people don't expect it from you.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05As women, you are looked upon as people to, I guess,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07have kids, create a home and nurture.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11So, yes, from what I can remember,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14being placed in front of a judge, they used to look down
0:20:14 > 0:20:18and read what was said against me and look at me like, "Really?"
0:20:18 > 0:20:21I feel like I used to get away with a lot because I was a girl.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Statistics show that across all crimes,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28girls get off lightly compared to boys.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Women account for 15% of arrests in England and Wales,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37but less than 5% of the prison population.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I want to find out why.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49Do we really take violence by women less seriously than violence by men?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53RAISED VOICES
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Don't walk away from me!
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Just show it to me! Just show it to me! Come on!
0:20:57 > 0:21:01I've organised an experiment to test public reaction
0:21:01 > 0:21:03to violence by men and women.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05You've got something to hide!
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- I've had enough!- Show me your phone!
0:21:07 > 0:21:11These two actors are going to stage a violent confrontation
0:21:11 > 0:21:13to see how people react.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Show me the phone!
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Just leave me alone, OK?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- It looks good, guys.- Do you want to do it the other way round?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Yeah, I think you need to try that.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- I want to know who texted you.- Why? What...?- Because I want to know!
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Bystanders will have to believe they are a real couple.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- Why are you being so paranoid? - Am I not allowed to ask?
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- I don't understand! - Am I not allowed to ask?
0:21:33 > 0:21:36If someone steps in and says, "Mate, you know, you've got to calm down,"
0:21:36 > 0:21:38you say, "All right."
0:21:38 > 0:21:40I mean, you have to diffuse it straightaway.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43"You're right. I'm sorry." And just step down.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47We do have someone nearby in case it kicks off.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Our stage will be a busy park
0:21:56 > 0:22:00and people have started to gather to eat their lunch,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03unaware that they're being filmed.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05- Who are you texting? - I'm not texting anyone!
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- I said, who are you texting?! - I'm not texting anybody!
0:22:08 > 0:22:09- Who are you texting?! - I just got a message.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- Don't lie to me!- I'm not lying to you!- Don't lie to me!
0:22:12 > 0:22:14- It was my boss... - I want to see!- Don't be so paranoid!
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Don't be paranoid?!
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- Oi!- Oi! Don't you dare call me paranoid!
0:22:18 > 0:22:20- I can't believe... - Don't you dare call me paranoid!
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- I can't believe you just...! - Where are you going?!
0:22:24 > 0:22:28It's obvious that people are disturbed by what they've seen.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31And, as our couple walk out of the park
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and out of our camera's view, they are followed.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38The first to intervene was this woman.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Thank you.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- I'm sorry.- Thank you.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52As they were walking off, I thought,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54"I don't know where they're going, I don't know if she's all right,"
0:22:54 > 0:22:57so I just thought, "I've got to make sure she's all right, really."
0:22:57 > 0:23:00So I just legged it. Like, left all my stuff here.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06Meanwhile, others have followed the actors to a locked courtyard,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08and a second woman steps in.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22We're sitting down and then I'm assuming the couple
0:23:22 > 0:23:24had an argument and then the guy just slapped her.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26And at that point, I was going to say, "Oi,"
0:23:26 > 0:23:29but I thought I was going to get stopped by someone here.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31It was a surreal moment, actually.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33- I didn't quite believe what was happening.- In public...
0:23:33 > 0:23:35And then when you guys went around a corner,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- we thought, "OK, something could happen."- What's going to happen?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40- That's when we decided... - We followed.- Yeah.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43We were going to come and see what was happening.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48But what will happen when the roles are reversed,
0:23:48 > 0:23:49when a woman hits a man?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- Show me. Who is it? - It's just someone at work.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- Show me your phone!- It's fine. - I want to see your phone!
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- Stop being so paranoid. - Show me your phone! Paranoid, am I?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I'm not being paranoid. I want to see your phone. Show it to me now!
0:24:00 > 0:24:05- Just show it to me!- This time, there was almost no reaction.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06But why?
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It crossed my mind that it was getting a bit out of hand,
0:24:09 > 0:24:14but I kind of just thought to sort of turn away and ignore.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19It was a minor skirmish and, yeah, she pushed him around.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21That's what I noticed.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Because the other way around, yes, it would have felt awkward.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- I'm in shock still. - Really?- Yeah.- Why?
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Um...the fact is that, from a guy's point of view...
0:24:33 > 0:24:36no-one helped. No-one helped at all when I got slapped.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39It's great that a lot of people came to my aid,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43but it's really appalling that nobody came to Luke's aid.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Because it was the same...you know, the same strength of slap,
0:24:47 > 0:24:48the same wording, everything.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It was just black and white, the reactions between the two.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58And I suppose it just goes to show that that's what we all think,
0:24:58 > 0:24:59really, isn't it?
0:24:59 > 0:25:05We think men are the aggressive ones, women aren't aggressive,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10or if they are, it's kind of not a threat, or maybe even a joke.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18But if those attitudes are common, they might not be justified.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Studies of domestic violence have found that
0:25:22 > 0:25:25when it comes to low-level abuse, like punching, slapping
0:25:25 > 0:25:29and kicking, women are just as involved as men.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Today, over a third of all domestics
0:25:45 > 0:25:49reported to the Crime Survey for England and Wales
0:25:49 > 0:25:51involve a violent woman.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56But it's a different story when you look at prosecutions.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Less than 8% of defendants are female.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04I've come to Portsmouth, because in the court in the city,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07there's a particularly nasty case of domestic violence
0:26:07 > 0:26:09being heard in front of a jury.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Simon Smith was married to his wife Crystal for about four years.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17And, to most people, it was a perfectly normal marriage.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Until that idea was totally shattered.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34- You all right?- Hi. How are you? - I'm all right.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39For Simon Smith and his girlfriend Crystal,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41things had started out normally.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44He had a steady job in the Navy
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and the couple were married within two years.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Quite a sort of fast relationship.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56Most people in the Navy you sort of see do have...
0:26:56 > 0:26:59not fast relationships, but it's difficult because, like you say,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01you only see them at weekends
0:27:01 > 0:27:04or for a two-week stint when you're on leave.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07When did you start to notice that something was wrong?
0:27:07 > 0:27:10I was cooking a roast dinner back in Grimsby
0:27:10 > 0:27:14and she asked me to make gravy from sort of the meat juices
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and stuff, but I'd never done it before.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20So she told me where it was in this book, but I'd got it wrong.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23And she just, like I say, just an instant sort of anger came.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26And she just threw this tray of gravy everywhere
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and some of the dishes went.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29I was sort of a bit,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32"OK, that's a bit... that's a bit of an overreaction,"
0:27:32 > 0:27:34but then I was sort of very apologetic,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37sort of trying to sort of, "Yeah, sorry, calm down."
0:27:37 > 0:27:39And then there was just more and more occasions
0:27:39 > 0:27:42as sort of time went on, really.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Simon put up with a series of low-level physical attacks.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50But he never imagined what was to come on a night out.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55As the night went on, Crystal had more and more to drink,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57she got louder...
0:27:57 > 0:28:01um...and towards the end, as I say, when we went to leave,
0:28:01 > 0:28:06she was just, again, an instant mood change.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- Because she was getting really angry with you?- Yeah.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12She was obviously saying that she believed I'd slept with prostitutes
0:28:12 > 0:28:16and believed that I'd been unfaithful, which I never had been.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Um...
0:28:19 > 0:28:22And like I say, I mean, I just sort of switched off and...
0:28:22 > 0:28:25- And you didn't react.- No. And that's what I tended to do.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29I'd just try and shut it out and hope that she'd calm down.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36But that night, Crystal's violence reached an horrific level.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39She got a knife and stabbed him.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42The sensation was like an instant heat on my arm sort of thing
0:28:42 > 0:28:44and you could feel it sort of running down your arm.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48- Did you know what had happened?- No, no. I said, "What have you done?"
0:28:48 > 0:28:51I didn't really know. But, obviously, the blood squirted up.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- You could've died. - Yeah. There was a chance.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04I think if, um...sort of the neighbour didn't do what he did
0:29:04 > 0:29:06and I didn't do what I did,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08there was a possibility I would've bled to death, yeah.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11I had to have, I think six blood transfusions in all.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13And, I mean, you only have eight pints in your body,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15so I only had two of my own left.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18- And you have other injuries on your back?- Yeah.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23- So that's the exit wound... - That's the exit?!- ..of that.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25But, again, that's been extended.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27The original wound was just sort of in the armpit.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29- So, it went right through your arm? - It went right through my arm
0:29:29 > 0:29:32and came out sort of...the point of the blade came out there.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36- So it went straight through the sort of fleshy part, as it were.- Mm.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41Simon was also stabbed in the back.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47All this damage was caused by a woman with a kitchen knife.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53His wife Crystal is now on trial for attempted murder.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58- OK, thank you, Simon.- It's all right.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00'And I'll be back to hear the verdict.'
0:30:15 > 0:30:18In Newcastle, Izzy is due to be sentenced for assault
0:30:18 > 0:30:20and racial harassment.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Charges which could see her go to jail.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27PHONE RINGS
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Hello?
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Hi, you're there. Whereabouts will I meet you?
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Yeah. OK, I know it.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40OK. See you then, Izzy. Bye.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48OK, so the reason that we are in a hotel room and not outside the court
0:30:48 > 0:30:52is that Izzy has asked us to keep a wide berth this morning.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56I think the last time she was in court during the Twitter trial,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59all the media outside kind of freaked her out a bit.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03So she's asked us to stay away with the cameras,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05but I'm going to go and meet her, go to court
0:31:05 > 0:31:09and, depending on the outcome of the case,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11hopefully bring her back here later today.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Izzy has waited nine weeks for a judgment in this case
0:31:22 > 0:31:24and so has her victim.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27But it isn't to be.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35- Hey.- Hiya.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40- So, slightly unexpected, wasn't it? - Yeah.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42My head's, like, all over the place.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44I mean, the bottom line is, we don't know what's happening.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48We turned up to the court and Izzy's name wasn't on the list.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52- Solicitor said it might have been dropped.- Yeah.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Hiya. I was due in court today and I went to the court.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00It's for the racial thing.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03And the court said they had, like, no paperwork or anything.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Just wondering if it had been dropped or not.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Izzy rings the police to try to find out what's going on.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Is it likely to have been dropped?
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Oh.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Oh. I was hoping for that, like, to be honest.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20All right, OK.
0:32:20 > 0:32:21All right. Thank you.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24All right. Cool. All right, see you later. Bye.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26She's baffled.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31I was prepared to go to jail. Obviously, I brung my clothes.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Because the last time, I had nothing
0:32:33 > 0:32:36and I'm not wearing the skanky prison clothes again.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38How are you feeling about it all?
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Eager to get it over with so you could deal with what was coming.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43You can't deal with not knowing.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48Um...but now I'm back in the unknown. So...
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Since we last met, Izzy hasn't touched alcohol
0:32:56 > 0:32:58and she's got help from a counsellor.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01But she still feels the urge to drink.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I'm not going to lie, I would love to go to the pub
0:33:04 > 0:33:07and just get absolutely drunk, away from all this.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09But I know I'd probably get arrested again
0:33:09 > 0:33:12and it just adds to the stress.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20I heard later that the paperwork for Izzy's case
0:33:20 > 0:33:23had been temporarily mislaid.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25A new trial date will be set.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32I leave her hoping that she can resist the temptation to drink.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44Some girls do manage to escape the cycle of violence.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49But that doesn't mean they aren't scarred by what they've done.
0:33:52 > 0:33:53# There's nowhere to run
0:33:53 > 0:33:56# There's nowhere to hide
0:33:56 > 0:33:57# I've lost my sanity
0:33:57 > 0:34:00# Vision's blurred, I'm losing sight
0:34:00 > 0:34:03# And there's a little girl who's crying... #
0:34:03 > 0:34:08Adena Thomson is 26. She's moved on from her violent past.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12# Trying to escape But no sense of direction
0:34:12 > 0:34:14# She's so filled up with pain... #
0:34:14 > 0:34:16She's written her own music for years.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Today, she's getting a chance to record a track
0:34:20 > 0:34:22with a professional producer.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25Can we go again? Sorry.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28- SHE CLEARS HER THROAT - We'll get there.- OK.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Channel all the good vibes, all the bad vibes, I guess,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33- all the emotions.- Exactly.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38Music is so important to me because it gives me a chance to reflect
0:34:38 > 0:34:40and it gives me a chance to feel everything.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Whereas from day to day, you try to block out some of your past,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47or you try to block out experiences that happen,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51but with music, it's almost impossible not to feel
0:34:51 > 0:34:54what you're experiencing, or what you've gone through.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56# ..Inside me Trapped beneath the bruises
0:34:56 > 0:34:59# No make-up can disguise these... #
0:35:03 > 0:35:07But Adena's past as a violent teenager never really goes away.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Some of her best friends today were victims of her aggression
0:35:19 > 0:35:21when she was younger.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24I'd had, like, a fight. I wasn't really a fighter, to be honest.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26I had...
0:35:26 > 0:35:28two-and-a-half fights in my whole life.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35And, um...the girl who I had a fight with, Adena knew.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37But, yeah, you was, like,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40"Oh, yeah, I heard you had a fight with my friend, da-da-da-da-da.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42"Why are you having a fight with her?"
0:35:42 > 0:35:45I'm, like, "What's it got to do with you?" And she's like...
0:35:46 > 0:35:49"That's my young girl. Why you touching her?"
0:35:49 > 0:35:53So I think... Basically, I think you used it as an excuse to,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55like, get all your anger out at me.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57And I'm just, like, "OK, let's do this."
0:35:57 > 0:35:58I was trying to put on a brave face.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00And then, yeah, basically, you beat me up.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03I think I put on a good fight, but I left with a black eye
0:36:03 > 0:36:05and you didn't leave with a black eye.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08- Do you remember it at all? - I don't.- Not at all?
0:36:08 > 0:36:09Even now that she's talking about it?
0:36:09 > 0:36:12There were guys there. There were two guys there.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15I think it was the guys that... we had a mutual love interest.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- Yeah.- That got it going, basically.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22It's shocking to know that I did that to you.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Because, like, all these years we've known each other and...
0:36:26 > 0:36:28- You proper didn't know?- I proper...
0:36:28 > 0:36:31- completely did not know that's what I did.- I can't believe...
0:36:31 > 0:36:35It makes me reflect, thinking, "Am I still perceived as a bad person,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38"or do people really think that they can't trust me now?"
0:36:38 > 0:36:41I just see a different person, like...
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Genuinely, I've told you this. Like, you're not that same person.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46You're probably thinking, "What's she talking about?"
0:36:46 > 0:36:48But seriously, like, you're more self-aware,
0:36:48 > 0:36:53you're more able to think about, like, other perspectives.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57Looking back now, what I did to you was unacceptable.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00There's no justification for what I did to you.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Just because a young person had a fight with you
0:37:03 > 0:37:06and I might have been close to that young person,
0:37:06 > 0:37:10that doesn't excuse it and justify why I then targeted you.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13So please accept my apology.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15THEY CHUCKLE
0:37:16 > 0:37:18You're such a cutie.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20The violence, I think, especially for Adena,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22has totally formed who she is.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26And it's clearly still with her.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30Quite a bit still with her. Um...
0:37:30 > 0:37:33And I don't know, can you shake that? Can you ever shake that
0:37:33 > 0:37:38when you've been involved in such a violent...environment?
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Do you ever walk away from that?
0:37:43 > 0:37:47# Make these wings so I can fly
0:37:47 > 0:37:50# Will someone give me wings?
0:37:50 > 0:37:52# I just want to be loved
0:37:52 > 0:37:54# Just want to be touched
0:37:54 > 0:37:59# Feeling comfortable in my skin... #
0:38:01 > 0:38:03I'm blessed.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07I've... Although I don't wish none of my experiences on anyone
0:38:07 > 0:38:12and I know I was misfortunate to go through so much stuff,
0:38:12 > 0:38:14I feel like I've got a purpose now.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17When you have friends that you know from schooldays and they say,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21"Oh, my gosh, you've changed so much, like, I'm so proud of you,"
0:38:21 > 0:38:25it just makes you think, "What type of person was you?"
0:38:25 > 0:38:30Like, I was so numb to my actions and what I was doing,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33I didn't realise the impact it was having on other people around me.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44But what was it in Adena's past that caused all that anger?
0:38:49 > 0:38:53For her, there was one particular event that drove her to fight.
0:38:58 > 0:39:03- I was sexually exploited at the age of 12.- By one person, or...?
0:39:03 > 0:39:05No, it was by a group of boys.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08This was kind of just before I went to secondary school.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12And during that summer holidays,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15nobody really knew what took place or what had happened to me, but...
0:39:15 > 0:39:20I got a really bad...I got a really bad reputation from it, and...
0:39:20 > 0:39:23- You got a reputation for what happened to you?- Yeah.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31I had girls calling me names, like, "Shiners! You're a hoe."
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Really derogatory names. And...I'd fight them.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38I'd punch them, I'd pull their hair. We'd get into a physical fight.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Behind nearly every violent woman,
0:39:43 > 0:39:48there is a story of low self-respect and often self-harm.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52# Ya-yo, ya-yo
0:39:52 > 0:39:54# Bitch, better have my money
0:39:54 > 0:39:57# Y'all should know me well enough
0:39:57 > 0:39:59# Bitch, better have my money... #
0:39:59 > 0:40:01But you wouldn't know that from the popular image
0:40:01 > 0:40:04of girl-on-girl violence.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07# Ballin' bigger than LeBron
0:40:07 > 0:40:09# Bitch, give me your money... #
0:40:09 > 0:40:11This Rihanna video shows her as a confident,
0:40:11 > 0:40:15glamorous leader of a violent girl gang.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17# And it's all on me, nigga You just bought a shot. #
0:40:25 > 0:40:30But the reality for girls in gangs is very different,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32as I'm about to discover.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37I've arranged to meet Sheree Johnson,
0:40:37 > 0:40:42who works with girls who have been at the centre of gang violence.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45A lot of people kind of think
0:40:45 > 0:40:50that women don't engage in serious violence, that it's not...
0:40:50 > 0:40:52It's not what girls do.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Is that nonsense?
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Yes. I was going to use another terminology
0:40:57 > 0:41:00and I just remembered, that is absolute rubbish.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Serious violence, violence is part of women's make-up.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06So a lot of these women, it's second nature, a lot of these women,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09it's been taught to them in their cultural perspective.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13So, for example, if he hits you, hit him back. That's the norm.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16If you don't hit back, you're seen as a woman who is weak
0:41:16 > 0:41:18and who is there to be defeated and walked upon.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20So if you want to make a statement,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22you're going to have to use violence.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25But I think even with some of the prevention work that we do
0:41:25 > 0:41:28with the young women, we hear terminologies like,
0:41:28 > 0:41:29"I'm going to smash your face in,"
0:41:29 > 0:41:33very easily available, used regularly by young people.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36It's just out there. Violence is just there.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38It's not about your sex any more,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41it's literally, who can incite the most violence?
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- How serious does it get? - Pretty serious.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45Some of our women that we work with
0:41:45 > 0:41:47who've been hospitalised are young women.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50We've had women who have been on life-support machines.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52You know, thankfully, we haven't had a young lady
0:41:52 > 0:41:55that's walked through our doors who has taken somebody's life,
0:41:55 > 0:41:57but I'm sure that is out there, as well.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Sheree agrees to introduce me to two girls she's currently working with.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08They're both 18.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13They were members of a gang and they need to be anonymous
0:42:13 > 0:42:16because they're trying to rebuild their lives.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Every year, it switches up.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22So before, it was fists, everyone was fistfighting.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Then next year, everybody's on knives,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28then next year, everybody's on guns.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Then the next year, little kids have Tasers.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Do you know what Tasers can do?
0:42:32 > 0:42:35They can electrocute you and you'll be knocked out.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37And then in that little time you're sleeping,
0:42:37 > 0:42:39you could be slapped in a boot.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41You could be taken where? You don't know.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Do you know what I mean, like?
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Of course you're going to have to carry a weapon, like.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48What everyone needs to understand, as well,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50is that everyone has soldiers behind them.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53So don't ever think when they're having an argument
0:42:53 > 0:42:56with one person that it's only that one person.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58You're having an argument with the whole crew.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03The girls describe one fight between rival gangs
0:43:03 > 0:43:07where people were left with life-changing injuries.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Someone getting hammered in the head.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13I think that was the most serious one.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Her head was just moving a lot.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18From nowhere, she got hit with a hammer.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20So I'm assuming she was giving it the mouth
0:43:20 > 0:43:24and the attitude that didn't need to be brought to the scene.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Then she just got hammered.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Did they deserve a hammer?
0:43:28 > 0:43:31They didn't deserve a hammer, but they had weapons.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34So the way I look at it, if we didn't go with no weapons...
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Obviously, we went with a bit of weapons,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39but if we didn't go with no weapons or take weapons from them,
0:43:39 > 0:43:43we would've been the victims and the tables would've turned.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Do you think about the...
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- ..victims?- No. Do you know why I don't think of them?
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Because, obviously, I apologise for what happened to them,
0:43:53 > 0:43:54but why I don't think of them
0:43:54 > 0:43:57is because I had to go to jail for them.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00No, you had to go to jail because of what you did.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04Of what I did, fair enough, but, like... I don't know, yeah.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06I don't want to sound rude, like,
0:44:06 > 0:44:08but this is why I'm patching my words.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12Because they started it, they got hurt, and we went to jail.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15But why did you start it? This is what I mean.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17It makes us look bad again.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22With this culture of violence, I wonder how much Sheree
0:44:22 > 0:44:25can really do to keep them from doing more damage.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30How optimistic are you about the two girls,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33that they'll stay out and move on?
0:44:33 > 0:44:3770% of me knows they can do it,
0:44:37 > 0:44:4330% of me knows that they need extra work and intense support.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45What do you do to keep on their case?
0:44:45 > 0:44:48I phone them 24/7, I pop up everywhere.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52I'm on your Instagram, I'm on your Facebook, I'm on your Snapchat.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54I'm everywhere.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56So if I can't access you on one angle,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59I can still keep my eye on you on another angle. So I'm everywhere.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01They just don't have room to breathe.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05And they're fully aware of this when they start. I become their mum
0:45:05 > 0:45:10until they're able to function in society adequately.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Sheree sees more and more girls every year.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22It's part of a slow, upward trend in girl crime.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Britain as a whole is becoming less violent.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34But women are being arrested for a higher proportion of violent crimes.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36SHOUTING
0:45:36 > 0:45:38BIRDSONG
0:45:46 > 0:45:49In Portsmouth, I've been following the case of Crystal Smith,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51who stabbed her husband, Simon.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55It's time to find out the verdict.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02- Morning.- Morning, Simon. You all right, mate?- Yeah, you? Come in.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07You get much sleep last night?
0:46:07 > 0:46:12Sergeant Roger Wood will go to court with Simon, his dad and stepmum.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14Do you want a drink or anything?
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Cup of tea, if you're up for it, that'd be nice.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20- They're outside.- Are they outside?
0:46:20 > 0:46:23- Morning.- Morning.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25- How are you?- I'm all right. You?
0:46:25 > 0:46:28- Yeah, feeling a bit... - Bit nervous?- Yeah.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30Yeah, that's to be expected.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35- Yeah, well, nearly at the end of it now, aren't you?- Nearly at the end.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Just hope it's all finished today.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42Hopefully, the jury will go out by about midday-ish.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46Sometimes it takes a few minutes, sometimes it takes a few days.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49- Just have to wait and see, really. - Ten minutes would be good.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52- Yeah, it would, wouldn't it? - THEY LAUGH
0:46:58 > 0:47:01Thought about this day ever since it happened, but...
0:47:01 > 0:47:04Who knows? The evidence has been given,
0:47:04 > 0:47:05it's in the hands of the jury.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08I mean, it's up to them to decide what the outcome is.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12From her evidence she gave,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15she doesn't remember the actual incident now.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17She doesn't remember what happened.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34Naturally, you would expect the male to be the perpetrator,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38but in this case, it's very clear that Simon is entirely innocent.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45I think Simon felt
0:47:45 > 0:47:48that he had a certain responsibility as a man.
0:47:48 > 0:47:52He had a certain responsibility as a member of the armed forces
0:47:52 > 0:47:55just to play his part.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58And if part of his relationship with his wife
0:47:58 > 0:48:04meant that he had to take knocks and verbal abuse and financial abuse
0:48:04 > 0:48:07and emotional abuse, which were all the things that she did,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10he just saw that as part of his marital duty.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19It's in the lap of the gods, really. It's in the hands of the jury.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22We can hope that they'll return the verdict
0:48:22 > 0:48:24that we think they should return,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26but you can never tell with these things.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29That's why I never...
0:48:29 > 0:48:31- Never say...- For definite.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Yeah, that there's cast-iron guarantees.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46Simon and Roger are hoping the jury convict Crystal
0:48:46 > 0:48:49of attempted murder.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51But they could also go for a lesser charge.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58We've got a verdict,
0:48:58 > 0:49:01so I think Simon and his family are going to come out quite soon.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06It's tense. Very tense.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15Crystal has been given nine years in prison
0:49:15 > 0:49:19for wounding with intent of grievous bodily harm.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Is that what you'd hoped for?
0:49:21 > 0:49:23Well, hoped for the first offence,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26but it's the second most that they could have done,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28so yeah, I'm happy with that, definitely.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30How are you feeling, Elaine?
0:49:31 > 0:49:33I want to cry, I want to laugh.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39- It's been a long day.- Yeah.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47While Simon's family are so relieved
0:49:47 > 0:49:50and they can put this behind them,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53she's facing a long time in prison,
0:49:53 > 0:49:56a long time away from her daughter.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59And that's kind of scary, because it's...
0:49:59 > 0:50:03That's what happens when violence gets out of control,
0:50:03 > 0:50:07and a case like this just shows that,
0:50:07 > 0:50:10you know, irrespective of who the perpetrator is,
0:50:10 > 0:50:13man or woman,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15it just destroys lives.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34Last time I was in Newcastle, Izzy was struggling to stay off the drink.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40Now I find out she's in trouble again.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46So, back in Newcastle today because Izzy is back up in court.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50Not only because of the charges that we knew about, but because,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54since we last met, she's gone and gotten herself into a whole heap
0:50:54 > 0:50:58of trouble, and she's facing four more counts of assault.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09With Izzy, I always know how the story begins.
0:51:09 > 0:51:10She got drunk.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13This time, at a friend's house.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Then she had to travel back through the centre of Newcastle.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28She stopped at Central Station, and was smoking a cigarette
0:51:28 > 0:51:30when she was approached by police.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36The police officer said, "You cannot smoke inside the station.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39"You need to put out the cigarette." But Izzy told him to eff off
0:51:39 > 0:51:42and then when he came towards her, she kicked him.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46He called for backup, and Izzy fought against both of those two as well,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49before all three of them carried her out of the station
0:51:49 > 0:51:51to a nearby police van.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56Even when she got to the police station,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59she then attacked the detention officer.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03All of this comes on top of the original charge -
0:52:03 > 0:52:07the racial abuse and assault of a hospital security guard.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21Today, Izzy's appearing in North Tyneside court.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26She will plead guilty
0:52:26 > 0:52:29and will be sentenced for five charges of assault.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34I have spoken to Izzy this morning and, you know, she is...
0:52:34 > 0:52:39She's more nervous than usual, and that's totally to be expected.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42She also has her bags packed, and she is, in her head,
0:52:42 > 0:52:46ready to go to prison. So whether or not she does,
0:52:46 > 0:52:48we'll find out in the next couple of hours.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56In Izzy's favour, she's seeing an alcohol counsellor.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59She's also seeking help with mental health issues.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14Well, the long and short of it is,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16she's not going to prison.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18She got pretty much everything else.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24The magistrate came straight out and said,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28"Listen, you're very lucky you're not going to prison.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30"Next time, you will be going to prison,
0:53:30 > 0:53:35"but I think you have potential to sort yourself out."
0:53:38 > 0:53:40If Izzy offends in the next 12 months,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43she'll face an 18-week prison sentence.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49In the short term, she has a tag, a 7pm curfew,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53and a ban from all licensed premises.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56- You were pretty lucky to get away without going to prison.- Oh, yeah.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59- She pretty much did everything except send you to prison.- Yeah.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03But she's given us that chance now, that my solicitor pleaded for,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07and I'm going to hopefully not prove them wrong
0:54:07 > 0:54:10and just prove to them that I am going to change.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Do you really think you're going to change? Cos every time I speak to you, sometimes you say,
0:54:14 > 0:54:18"Yeah, I'm going to change," other times you're, like, "Yeah, I'll probably reoffend."
0:54:18 > 0:54:19No, no, I think...
0:54:19 > 0:54:22I can't go... That's not my life, in and out of court
0:54:22 > 0:54:25and in and out of police stations.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29It's not my life. I want my old life, so yeah.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32I'm not going to at least offend.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34I'm going to try and stay abstinent from drink.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36- Try.- No drink at all?- No.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39- Think that's a good shout.- Yeah.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41What are you going to do tonight?
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Have a Chinese and watch Big Brother.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45THEY LAUGH
0:54:51 > 0:54:53Come.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57Izzy and the other women I've met for this film
0:54:57 > 0:55:01have all done terrible and, in some cases, terrifying things.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05# There's nowhere to run There's nowhere to hide
0:55:05 > 0:55:07# I've lost my sanity
0:55:07 > 0:55:09# Vision's blurred I'm losing sight... #
0:55:09 > 0:55:13But they aren't people you could easily dismiss as 100% bad.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17# Trapped beneath the bruises No make-up can disguise these
0:55:17 > 0:55:21# Crying to sleep No sense of direction... #
0:55:21 > 0:55:26Young offenders can leave violence behind and become good parents.
0:55:29 > 0:55:34But avoiding fights isn't easy. Sometimes, they find you.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38And that's what makes this problem so hard to deal with.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42Oh, this is scary for me. Hold on tight, all right?
0:55:42 > 0:55:46You know, so much of this girl violence is utterly pointless,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48and given that it's actually getting worse,
0:55:48 > 0:55:51the chances are that the public and the courts
0:55:51 > 0:55:54are going to start getting tougher on women,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57which means more and more girls are going to end up
0:55:57 > 0:55:58wasting their lives in prison.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04# Where do I fit in? Somewhere I must belong
0:56:04 > 0:56:08# I'm feeling like an outcast Society did me wrong
0:56:08 > 0:56:13# Cos they couldn't see the signs Let me slip through the system
0:56:13 > 0:56:17# Now I'm just another statistic
0:56:17 > 0:56:21# So I keep a bottle close It's the only friend I know
0:56:21 > 0:56:26# Plus, it helps to numb the pain Till the very next day... #