The Rise of Female Violence

This programme contains some violent scenes from the start and some bad language.

Violence on the streets of the UK.

But this time, it's girls fighting in Belfast.

Police have appealed for an end to prearranged teenage fights

organised on social media.

SHOUTING

It happened right here in the middle of the city centre

and had been plastered all over Facebook.

Something like 200 people turned up to watch.

I live only about half a mile from the scene of that fight.

But it's not just a local problem.

These scenes were filmed in north-east London in October.

BLEEP

BLEEP

No fighting, come on. Peace.

No fighting.

Fights between girls broke out at festivals.

'Let's start today with this video...'

Even celebs seem to be getting in on the action.

'..which appears to show Jay Z being hit

'and kicked by Beyonce's sister in a lift.'

In this film, I'm setting out to meet some of Britain's violent women,

to find out what's provoking them.

Are us girls getting angrier?

And if so, why?

Fight, fight, fight. Oh!

Yeah!

I'll talk to women who've used knives.

I don't even like saying it. Um, I stabbed my own sister.

I'll see if I can get a taste for fighting.

-You were going out three nights a week and you were ending up in a police cell three nights a week?

-Yes.

And I'll speak to a man whose wife is on trial for stabbing him.

The sensation, it was like just an instant heat on my arm sort of thing,

and you could feel it sort of running down your arm.

-Did you know what had happened?

-No, no, I said, "What have you done? What have you done?"

We've got a verdict. It's tense, very tense.

Whoo!

My first stop is Leeds.

A typical UK party city.

The peak time for violence in the city centre

is between midnight and 5am.

If you're out on a night like tonight and you're really drunk,

you are much more likely to get a punch or even to throw one.

And more and more women are getting involved in the fighting.

The rings on their fingers, they've spun them round and slapped people.

-Really?

-And then tore the cheek. Scratched the cheek, drew blood.

-A woman tried to bite my thumb off.

-Tried to bite your thumb off?

-Yes.

What's the worst kind of girl violence thing you've seen?

I think it was my mate getting a stiletto stuck in his head.

-He got a stiletto in the head?

-Yes.

Was he damaged, injured...badly?

Oh, he had to go to hospital and get some stitches.

It was actually hanging out of his head.

I've had fights where I've split girls up

and they're still trying to smack each other, and I've been smacked.

Some of the stuff I have seen, for females to be doing that,

I think it is absolutely disgusting.

Two of the most experienced door staff in Leeds are women.

You see lots of violent domestics, I've noticed in Leeds,

you know, with women hitting the bloke.

I've seen that quite a few times.

In fact, I had one a couple of weeks ago when I was working up the top.

She was actually knocking seven bells out of him,

-but people were just walking past.

-No-one stopped?

No, because I think people just assume,

because it is a girl, it is not going to hurt.

# S Club

# There ain't no party like an S Club party

# We're gonna show you how... #

And if things are getting worse, there's one obvious factor to blame.

More of us girls are drinking heavily

and the bars have become far smarter when it comes to selling us booze.

I'm here to see how they do it.

'It is great fun, but there's no doubt about it,

'that place is set up for drinking.

'Every screen in the place has two-for-one offers.'

But...the most notable thing was

there was a girl on the dance floor with a tray of Jagerbombs, selling them.

So I didn't even have to leave the dance floor to be able to get drunk.

'For Izzy Sorley, getting drunk and getting into fights

'has become a way of life.

'She's only 24, but she reckons she's got around 30 convictions for

'alcohol-related offences, including six assaults on police officers.

'And it all started here in Leeds when she was a student.'

On a normal night, when you're in full flight as a student,

what were you drinking?

Well, I would preload before I went out.

-So I would normally have a litre of vodka.

-How much?

-A litre of vodka.

-A full litre of vodka?

-Yeah, yeah.

Or, like, I don't know, cider or stuff like that.

And then it would just be literally what was ever cheapest

at the bar.

Izzy's nights always ended up here on Call Lane.

-Have you ever been on Call Lane when you're sober?

-No.

Normally be, like, staggering everywhere,

not being able to stand, throwing up, just trying to get in to as many bars as possible.

-Really?

-It is really weird being here sober.

I think everyone has a night where they totally overdo it,

they end up being sick and going home early or forgetting the night,

-but not every night.

-I know. That was the really bad thing.

I just couldn't seem to break that cycle of waking up in a police cell.

I would obviously intend to go home.

I'd be, "Right, I'm actually making it to my bed tonight,"

but it never happened.

Because every time I went out, I was getting arrested.

'Izzy was eventually banned from all pubs and clubs in Leeds.

'She graduated and moved back home to Newcastle.

'But she didn't stop drinking

'and her crimes were about to hit the headlines.'

Isabella Sorley, who is 23,

pleaded guilty to sending the messages in July last year.

It resulted in a 12-week prison sentence

under the Malicious Communications Act.

Izzy was prosecuted for her part in the online harassment

of a feminist campaigner.

'At 2.25am, she tweeted to Caroline Criado-Perez,

'"Fuck off and die, you worthless piece of crap.

'"You're pathetic, kill yourself before I do. Go die.

'"Rape?! I'd do a lot worse things than rape you."'

What Izzy said on Twitter to that campaigner

is unimaginably vicious and heartless,

and when you read them, or when I read them,

you'd imagine that these are from a violent, dangerous man.

And they weren't. She's a young girl in her twenties.

And...I'm really keen just to hear

what she has to say

and how she can explain doing something like that.

Izzy says she was drunk and doesn't remember posting the abuse.

She found out the morning after when she checked her Twitter account.

I've done some bad stuff before, drunk.

But when it's typed down, you've got evidence of what you've said.

I was disgusted and I had to go back and think,

"Oh, dear, I've sent that."

I was violently sick.

It was either down to too much alcohol the night before or a mixture of both,

the fact that I'd sent those vile stuff to another woman.

But Izzy's involved in physical violence, too.

Just two weeks ago, she was arrested

for racially aggravated assault of a hospital security guard.

-You woke up in a police cell?

-I woke up in a police cell, yes.

And what did they say to you? Did you know why you were there?

I had no idea. I didn't even know what police station I was at until I asked them.

They sort of said, "You're here for racially aggravated assault," and I was like, "What?"

I couldn't have been more surprised.

I said, "I can't emphasise enough, I am not racist."

I wouldn't purposely go up to someone and hit someone.

I am not really a violent person in that way.

I don't know if you can say, "I'm not a violent person,"

when you have got a string of assaults against police officers.

One morning you could wake up in a cell and they'll say,

"Izzy, this time you killed someone."

That's the worrying part.

That I could kill someone or I could be killed on a night out.

Unfortunately, alcohol just turns us.

I'm trying to deal with the psychopath that is inside me when alcohol is there.

But is alcohol really powerful enough

to change someone's personality in the way that Izzy claims?

I've decided to find out with a home experiment.

What affect does alcohol have on me?

And does it make me more inclined to fight?

I'll be taking my blood before and after alcohol

and sending it off for testing to see what science has to say.

It's just after 9.30am in the morning

and I've done my first test, blood test, of the day.

But in preparation for the next one,

I have to drink two 35ml measures of whisky.

My body is like, "What's going on?"

Last bit.

Two shots later and I'm feeling the effects.

I definitely feel slightly dulled. Slightly warmer.

We should go to a disco, though!

But no disco for me. I'm going straight to the fight.

After my whisky breakfast, I'm mad enough to agree

to get in a ring with Leah McCourt, a trained cage fighter.

First, a quick blood test to see how my body has reacted to the alcohol.

No matter how much I drink,

I'm pretty sure this will never be my sport.

OK.

Finally.

The results are in.

I discover that what's changed in my body is the level of testosterone.

This is a hormone which is higher in boys than in girls

and scientists link it to aggressive behaviour.

The first line is my normal level,

based on tests from the day before with no alcohol.

But look what happens when I drink.

The expectation was that my level of testosterone might go up

even further when I fought Leah but, in fact, it went down.

Proof that I'm basically a terrible fighter.

And there's an extra hit for some girls.

If you're on the pill,

alcohol causes an even greater rise in testosterone.

-I need my arm back.

-What?

It's pretty clear to me that Izzy needs to stop drinking

if she wants to stop getting into fights.

How was your night last night?

Do you know, I'd just let in these four big blokes...

I've asked two bouncers I met in Leeds to help me out.

..five foot one, weighing about three stone, starts chomping

because he's been kicked out.

These two deal with binge drinkers like Izzy every day.

So can they persuade her off the booze?

-Hi, how are you?

-I'm good. You?

-Good. You know the score for now, who we're going to meet?

Yes. Two bouncers from Leeds.

Have you met them sober before? Or any bouncers sober before?

-I don't think I've ever encountered a bouncer sober.

-Really? How are you feeling about it?

-Really apprehensive, especially about one of them.

-Why is that?

We have definitely encountered each other before.

Whether she remembers me, I don't know. But I remember her.

-OK. Let's see how we get on.

-Cool.

That fight last night was quite entertaining.

You didn't do any headlocks, did you? Cos they're illegal now.

-Hello.

-This is Izzy.

-Hi.

-This is Terry and Tracey.

Even when outnumbered and the smallest person in the room,

Izzy comes out fighting.

-Remember the time you smacked us in the face?

-Mm?

You and another lad dragged me from the courtyard...

I didn't smack you in the head.

How long did you take me off my job?

That's not the point, though, is it.

Two hours. You would not listen.

You are the worst person I have ever met in drink.

I remember once you'd just been sick.

You did shots at the bar and you just vomited all over the floor.

In the bar?

See, I can't even remember that.

The mood changes and Izzy begins to open up

about her problems with drink.

My crimes have escalated since Leeds.

In Leeds, it was just drunk and disorderly.

In Newcastle, it has turned into assaults.

You have to stop drinking.

You need to get some help.

Like, not one or two. You can't do one or two.

Same as I can't do one or two cigs

or I'm going to smoke 40 at the end of the week.

You can't do one or two drinks. It's got to be no drinks.

I've lost four jobs now through alcohol. I lost my flat. I nearly ended up being homeless.

If I didn't have social support and family, I would have been on the streets.

You can turn it round, though. You don't have to be like that.

I just hope that you don't go away from this opportunity

and throw yourself back into where you were,

because clearly you've got a lot more about you

than you seem to think you have.

I feel a lot calmer now. I feel better now.

I apologise for how much of a twat I was.

-I'm not an enemy.

-I know.

Despite the good advice, I wonder if Izzy really can stay off the booze.

The difficult thing with Izzy is that she says all the right things

and then she makes the same mistake again.

Next week, she's going to find out

whether or not she's going to be charged with a violent crime

that could mean, if she's guilty, she goes down for two years.

And I don't think she gets how serious it is.

I don't think she's actually let herself think about

how much trouble she could be in.

It's not just drunken fistfights

where girls can get into serious trouble.

In the last 12 months to April, police recorded 13% more assaults

with knives than in the previous year in England and Wales.

Girls who are involved in the worst kind of crimes,

the kind of crimes that have guns or knives involved,

tend not to talk about it, for pretty obvious reasons.

But the girl I'm about to meet now has written a book

about what she did when she was younger, about 13 or 14 onwards.

She lived on this estate and from what I've read,

she terrorised people.

"What's it like stabbing someone? It's like this.

"You can feel yourself breaking the skin. That's the moment.

"That's the moment that matters.

"Until then, it's just like prodding a piece of meat.

"When you poke it, you can't feel anything back.

"It takes some force to get beyond that. You'd be surprised."

A lot of memories...

..that I've kept from this particular place.

Not particularly good ones.

Tracey had a difficult childhood.

Her father was jailed for rape.

Her mum was a manic depressive.

Her violence started in the home.

I'm ashamed about everything, but this...

Seriously, I never like saying it. I stabbed my own sister.

-You stabbed your sister?

-Yes.

The thing is, when you grow up in a household that's got violence in it,

as siblings when you start warring with each other,

you almost dismiss the fact that you're family

and you take it really serious.

Like, you'd actually bring your sibling out

and offer them a full fight.

Fisticuffs.

My sister, while my brother had me in a headlock,

she bit me on my side.

That hurt.

I'm now not fighting or anything.

I'm in a position where I can't really move and you've taken a big bite out of my side.

So I was like, right, cool.

I just remember thinking, let me give her time, because I know where she's going.

Let me give her time to walk to the bus stop, make her way home,

and I just got a knife from the kitchen drawer and I just skipped down after her and I stabbed her.

Who else did you stab? How many people, do you think?

I would say about...

..three.

It wasn't long before Tracey graduated to serious organised crime.

Do you think it was easier or harder being a girl that was violent,

badly behaved, getting in trouble with the court and the police?

Yes, it's definitely easier to be a girl living the lifestyle of crime

because people don't expect it from you.

As women, you are looked upon as people to, I guess,

have kids, create a home and nurture.

So, yes, from what I can remember,

being placed in front of a judge, they used to look down

and read what was said against me and look at me like, "Really?"

I feel like I used to get away with a lot because I was a girl.

Statistics show that across all crimes,

girls get off lightly compared to boys.

Women account for 15% of arrests in England and Wales,

but less than 5% of the prison population.

I want to find out why.

Do we really take violence by women less seriously than violence by men?

RAISED VOICES

Don't walk away from me!

Just show it to me! Just show it to me! Come on!

I've organised an experiment to test public reaction

to violence by men and women.

You've got something to hide!

-I've had enough!

-Show me your phone!

These two actors are going to stage a violent confrontation

to see how people react.

Show me the phone!

Just leave me alone, OK?

-It looks good, guys.

-Do you want to do it the other way round?

Yeah, I think you need to try that.

-I want to know who texted you.

-Why? What...?

-Because I want to know!

Bystanders will have to believe they are a real couple.

-Why are you being so paranoid?

-Am I not allowed to ask?

-I don't understand!

-Am I not allowed to ask?

If someone steps in and says, "Mate, you know, you've got to calm down,"

you say, "All right."

I mean, you have to diffuse it straightaway.

"You're right. I'm sorry." And just step down.

We do have someone nearby in case it kicks off.

Our stage will be a busy park

and people have started to gather to eat their lunch,

unaware that they're being filmed.

-Who are you texting?

-I'm not texting anyone!

-I said, who are you texting?!

-I'm not texting anybody!

-Who are you texting?!

-I just got a message.

-Don't lie to me!

-I'm not lying to you!

-Don't lie to me!

-It was my boss...

-I want to see!

-Don't be so paranoid!

Don't be paranoid?!

-Oi!

-Oi! Don't you dare call me paranoid!

-I can't believe...

-Don't you dare call me paranoid!

-I can't believe you just...!

-Where are you going?!

It's obvious that people are disturbed by what they've seen.

And, as our couple walk out of the park

and out of our camera's view, they are followed.

The first to intervene was this woman.

Thank you.

-I'm sorry.

-Thank you.

As they were walking off, I thought,

"I don't know where they're going, I don't know if she's all right,"

so I just thought, "I've got to make sure she's all right, really."

So I just legged it. Like, left all my stuff here.

Meanwhile, others have followed the actors to a locked courtyard,

and a second woman steps in.

We're sitting down and then I'm assuming the couple

had an argument and then the guy just slapped her.

And at that point, I was going to say, "Oi,"

but I thought I was going to get stopped by someone here.

It was a surreal moment, actually.

-I didn't quite believe what was happening.

-In public...

And then when you guys went around a corner,

-we thought, "OK, something could happen."

-What's going to happen?

-That's when we decided...

-We followed.

-Yeah.

We were going to come and see what was happening.

But what will happen when the roles are reversed,

when a woman hits a man?

-Show me. Who is it?

-It's just someone at work.

-Show me your phone!

-It's fine.

-I want to see your phone!

-Stop being so paranoid.

-Show me your phone! Paranoid, am I?

I'm not being paranoid. I want to see your phone. Show it to me now!

-Just show it to me!

-This time, there was almost no reaction.

But why?

It crossed my mind that it was getting a bit out of hand,

but I kind of just thought to sort of turn away and ignore.

It was a minor skirmish and, yeah, she pushed him around.

That's what I noticed.

Because the other way around, yes, it would have felt awkward.

-I'm in shock still.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Why?

Um...the fact is that, from a guy's point of view...

no-one helped. No-one helped at all when I got slapped.

It's great that a lot of people came to my aid,

but it's really appalling that nobody came to Luke's aid.

Because it was the same...you know, the same strength of slap,

the same wording, everything.

It was just black and white, the reactions between the two.

And I suppose it just goes to show that that's what we all think,

really, isn't it?

We think men are the aggressive ones, women aren't aggressive,

or if they are, it's kind of not a threat, or maybe even a joke.

But if those attitudes are common, they might not be justified.

Studies of domestic violence have found that

when it comes to low-level abuse, like punching, slapping

and kicking, women are just as involved as men.

Today, over a third of all domestics

reported to the Crime Survey for England and Wales

involve a violent woman.

But it's a different story when you look at prosecutions.

Less than 8% of defendants are female.

I've come to Portsmouth, because in the court in the city,

there's a particularly nasty case of domestic violence

being heard in front of a jury.

Simon Smith was married to his wife Crystal for about four years.

And, to most people, it was a perfectly normal marriage.

Until that idea was totally shattered.

-You all right?

-Hi. How are you?

-I'm all right.

For Simon Smith and his girlfriend Crystal,

things had started out normally.

He had a steady job in the Navy

and the couple were married within two years.

Quite a sort of fast relationship.

Most people in the Navy you sort of see do have...

not fast relationships, but it's difficult because, like you say,

you only see them at weekends

or for a two-week stint when you're on leave.

When did you start to notice that something was wrong?

I was cooking a roast dinner back in Grimsby

and she asked me to make gravy from sort of the meat juices

and stuff, but I'd never done it before.

So she told me where it was in this book, but I'd got it wrong.

And she just, like I say, just an instant sort of anger came.

And she just threw this tray of gravy everywhere

and some of the dishes went.

I was sort of a bit,

"OK, that's a bit... that's a bit of an overreaction,"

but then I was sort of very apologetic,

sort of trying to sort of, "Yeah, sorry, calm down."

And then there was just more and more occasions

as sort of time went on, really.

Simon put up with a series of low-level physical attacks.

But he never imagined what was to come on a night out.

As the night went on, Crystal had more and more to drink,

she got louder...

um...and towards the end, as I say, when we went to leave,

she was just, again, an instant mood change.

-Because she was getting really angry with you?

-Yeah.

She was obviously saying that she believed I'd slept with prostitutes

and believed that I'd been unfaithful, which I never had been.

Um...

And like I say, I mean, I just sort of switched off and...

-And you didn't react.

-No. And that's what I tended to do.

I'd just try and shut it out and hope that she'd calm down.

But that night, Crystal's violence reached an horrific level.

She got a knife and stabbed him.

The sensation was like an instant heat on my arm sort of thing

and you could feel it sort of running down your arm.

-Did you know what had happened?

-No, no. I said, "What have you done?"

I didn't really know. But, obviously, the blood squirted up.

-You could've died.

-Yeah. There was a chance.

I think if, um...sort of the neighbour didn't do what he did

and I didn't do what I did,

there was a possibility I would've bled to death, yeah.

I had to have, I think six blood transfusions in all.

And, I mean, you only have eight pints in your body,

so I only had two of my own left.

-And you have other injuries on your back?

-Yeah.

-So that's the exit wound...

-That's the exit?!

-..of that.

But, again, that's been extended.

The original wound was just sort of in the armpit.

-So, it went right through your arm?

-It went right through my arm

and came out sort of...the point of the blade came out there.

-So it went straight through the sort of fleshy part, as it were.

-Mm.

Simon was also stabbed in the back.

All this damage was caused by a woman with a kitchen knife.

His wife Crystal is now on trial for attempted murder.

-OK, thank you, Simon.

-It's all right.

'And I'll be back to hear the verdict.'

In Newcastle, Izzy is due to be sentenced for assault

and racial harassment.

Charges which could see her go to jail.

PHONE RINGS

Hello?

Hi, you're there. Whereabouts will I meet you?

Yeah. OK, I know it.

OK. See you then, Izzy. Bye.

OK, so the reason that we are in a hotel room and not outside the court

is that Izzy has asked us to keep a wide berth this morning.

I think the last time she was in court during the Twitter trial,

all the media outside kind of freaked her out a bit.

So she's asked us to stay away with the cameras,

but I'm going to go and meet her, go to court

and, depending on the outcome of the case,

hopefully bring her back here later today.

Izzy has waited nine weeks for a judgment in this case

and so has her victim.

But it isn't to be.

-Hey.

-Hiya.

-So, slightly unexpected, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

My head's, like, all over the place.

I mean, the bottom line is, we don't know what's happening.

We turned up to the court and Izzy's name wasn't on the list.

-Solicitor said it might have been dropped.

-Yeah.

Hiya. I was due in court today and I went to the court.

It's for the racial thing.

And the court said they had, like, no paperwork or anything.

Just wondering if it had been dropped or not.

Izzy rings the police to try to find out what's going on.

Is it likely to have been dropped?

Oh.

Oh. I was hoping for that, like, to be honest.

All right, OK.

All right. Thank you.

All right. Cool. All right, see you later. Bye.

She's baffled.

I was prepared to go to jail. Obviously, I brung my clothes.

Because the last time, I had nothing

and I'm not wearing the skanky prison clothes again.

How are you feeling about it all?

Eager to get it over with so you could deal with what was coming.

You can't deal with not knowing.

Um...but now I'm back in the unknown. So...

Since we last met, Izzy hasn't touched alcohol

and she's got help from a counsellor.

But she still feels the urge to drink.

I'm not going to lie, I would love to go to the pub

and just get absolutely drunk, away from all this.

But I know I'd probably get arrested again

and it just adds to the stress.

I heard later that the paperwork for Izzy's case

had been temporarily mislaid.

A new trial date will be set.

I leave her hoping that she can resist the temptation to drink.

Some girls do manage to escape the cycle of violence.

But that doesn't mean they aren't scarred by what they've done.

# There's nowhere to run

# There's nowhere to hide

# I've lost my sanity

# Vision's blurred, I'm losing sight

# And there's a little girl who's crying... #

Adena Thomson is 26. She's moved on from her violent past.

# Trying to escape But no sense of direction

# She's so filled up with pain... #

She's written her own music for years.

Today, she's getting a chance to record a track

with a professional producer.

Can we go again? Sorry.

-SHE CLEARS HER THROAT

-We'll get there.

-OK.

Channel all the good vibes, all the bad vibes, I guess,

-all the emotions.

-Exactly.

Music is so important to me because it gives me a chance to reflect

and it gives me a chance to feel everything.

Whereas from day to day, you try to block out some of your past,

or you try to block out experiences that happen,

but with music, it's almost impossible not to feel

what you're experiencing, or what you've gone through.

# ..Inside me Trapped beneath the bruises

# No make-up can disguise these... #

But Adena's past as a violent teenager never really goes away.

Some of her best friends today were victims of her aggression

when she was younger.

I'd had, like, a fight. I wasn't really a fighter, to be honest.

I had...

two-and-a-half fights in my whole life.

And, um...the girl who I had a fight with, Adena knew.

But, yeah, you was, like,

"Oh, yeah, I heard you had a fight with my friend, da-da-da-da-da.

"Why are you having a fight with her?"

I'm, like, "What's it got to do with you?" And she's like...

"That's my young girl. Why you touching her?"

So I think... Basically, I think you used it as an excuse to,

like, get all your anger out at me.

And I'm just, like, "OK, let's do this."

I was trying to put on a brave face.

And then, yeah, basically, you beat me up.

I think I put on a good fight, but I left with a black eye

and you didn't leave with a black eye.

-Do you remember it at all?

-I don't.

-Not at all?

Even now that she's talking about it?

There were guys there. There were two guys there.

I think it was the guys that... we had a mutual love interest.

-Yeah.

-That got it going, basically.

It's shocking to know that I did that to you.

Because, like, all these years we've known each other and...

-You proper didn't know?

-I proper...

-completely did not know that's what I did.

-I can't believe...

It makes me reflect, thinking, "Am I still perceived as a bad person,

"or do people really think that they can't trust me now?"

I just see a different person, like...

Genuinely, I've told you this. Like, you're not that same person.

You're probably thinking, "What's she talking about?"

But seriously, like, you're more self-aware,

you're more able to think about, like, other perspectives.

Looking back now, what I did to you was unacceptable.

There's no justification for what I did to you.

Just because a young person had a fight with you

and I might have been close to that young person,

that doesn't excuse it and justify why I then targeted you.

So please accept my apology.

THEY CHUCKLE

You're such a cutie.

The violence, I think, especially for Adena,

has totally formed who she is.

And it's clearly still with her.

Quite a bit still with her. Um...

And I don't know, can you shake that? Can you ever shake that

when you've been involved in such a violent...environment?

Do you ever walk away from that?

# Make these wings so I can fly

# Will someone give me wings?

# I just want to be loved

# Just want to be touched

# Feeling comfortable in my skin... #

I'm blessed.

I've... Although I don't wish none of my experiences on anyone

and I know I was misfortunate to go through so much stuff,

I feel like I've got a purpose now.

When you have friends that you know from schooldays and they say,

"Oh, my gosh, you've changed so much, like, I'm so proud of you,"

it just makes you think, "What type of person was you?"

Like, I was so numb to my actions and what I was doing,

I didn't realise the impact it was having on other people around me.

But what was it in Adena's past that caused all that anger?

For her, there was one particular event that drove her to fight.

-I was sexually exploited at the age of 12.

-By one person, or...?

No, it was by a group of boys.

This was kind of just before I went to secondary school.

And during that summer holidays,

nobody really knew what took place or what had happened to me, but...

I got a really bad...I got a really bad reputation from it, and...

-You got a reputation for what happened to you?

-Yeah.

I had girls calling me names, like, "Shiners! You're a hoe."

Really derogatory names. And...I'd fight them.

I'd punch them, I'd pull their hair. We'd get into a physical fight.

Behind nearly every violent woman,

there is a story of low self-respect and often self-harm.

# Ya-yo, ya-yo

# Bitch, better have my money

# Y'all should know me well enough

# Bitch, better have my money... #

But you wouldn't know that from the popular image

of girl-on-girl violence.

# Ballin' bigger than LeBron

# Bitch, give me your money... #

This Rihanna video shows her as a confident,

glamorous leader of a violent girl gang.

# And it's all on me, nigga You just bought a shot. #

But the reality for girls in gangs is very different,

as I'm about to discover.

I've arranged to meet Sheree Johnson,

who works with girls who have been at the centre of gang violence.

A lot of people kind of think

that women don't engage in serious violence, that it's not...

It's not what girls do.

Is that nonsense?

Yes. I was going to use another terminology

and I just remembered, that is absolute rubbish.

Serious violence, violence is part of women's make-up.

So a lot of these women, it's second nature, a lot of these women,

it's been taught to them in their cultural perspective.

So, for example, if he hits you, hit him back. That's the norm.

If you don't hit back, you're seen as a woman who is weak

and who is there to be defeated and walked upon.

So if you want to make a statement,

you're going to have to use violence.

But I think even with some of the prevention work that we do

with the young women, we hear terminologies like,

"I'm going to smash your face in,"

very easily available, used regularly by young people.

It's just out there. Violence is just there.

It's not about your sex any more,

it's literally, who can incite the most violence?

-How serious does it get?

-Pretty serious.

Some of our women that we work with

who've been hospitalised are young women.

We've had women who have been on life-support machines.

You know, thankfully, we haven't had a young lady

that's walked through our doors who has taken somebody's life,

but I'm sure that is out there, as well.

Sheree agrees to introduce me to two girls she's currently working with.

They're both 18.

They were members of a gang and they need to be anonymous

because they're trying to rebuild their lives.

Every year, it switches up.

So before, it was fists, everyone was fistfighting.

Then next year, everybody's on knives,

then next year, everybody's on guns.

Then the next year, little kids have Tasers.

Do you know what Tasers can do?

They can electrocute you and you'll be knocked out.

And then in that little time you're sleeping,

you could be slapped in a boot.

You could be taken where? You don't know.

Do you know what I mean, like?

Of course you're going to have to carry a weapon, like.

What everyone needs to understand, as well,

is that everyone has soldiers behind them.

So don't ever think when they're having an argument

with one person that it's only that one person.

You're having an argument with the whole crew.

The girls describe one fight between rival gangs

where people were left with life-changing injuries.

Someone getting hammered in the head.

I think that was the most serious one.

Her head was just moving a lot.

From nowhere, she got hit with a hammer.

So I'm assuming she was giving it the mouth

and the attitude that didn't need to be brought to the scene.

Then she just got hammered.

Did they deserve a hammer?

They didn't deserve a hammer, but they had weapons.

So the way I look at it, if we didn't go with no weapons...

Obviously, we went with a bit of weapons,

but if we didn't go with no weapons or take weapons from them,

we would've been the victims and the tables would've turned.

Do you think about the...

-..victims?

-No. Do you know why I don't think of them?

Because, obviously, I apologise for what happened to them,

but why I don't think of them

is because I had to go to jail for them.

No, you had to go to jail because of what you did.

Of what I did, fair enough, but, like... I don't know, yeah.

I don't want to sound rude, like,

but this is why I'm patching my words.

Because they started it, they got hurt, and we went to jail.

But why did you start it? This is what I mean.

It makes us look bad again.

With this culture of violence, I wonder how much Sheree

can really do to keep them from doing more damage.

How optimistic are you about the two girls,

that they'll stay out and move on?

70% of me knows they can do it,

30% of me knows that they need extra work and intense support.

What do you do to keep on their case?

I phone them 24/7, I pop up everywhere.

I'm on your Instagram, I'm on your Facebook, I'm on your Snapchat.

I'm everywhere.

So if I can't access you on one angle,

I can still keep my eye on you on another angle. So I'm everywhere.

They just don't have room to breathe.

And they're fully aware of this when they start. I become their mum

until they're able to function in society adequately.

SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Sheree sees more and more girls every year.

It's part of a slow, upward trend in girl crime.

Britain as a whole is becoming less violent.

But women are being arrested for a higher proportion of violent crimes.

SHOUTING

BIRDSONG

In Portsmouth, I've been following the case of Crystal Smith,

who stabbed her husband, Simon.

It's time to find out the verdict.

-Morning.

-Morning, Simon. You all right, mate?

-Yeah, you? Come in.

You get much sleep last night?

Sergeant Roger Wood will go to court with Simon, his dad and stepmum.

Do you want a drink or anything?

Cup of tea, if you're up for it, that'd be nice.

-They're outside.

-Are they outside?

-Morning.

-Morning.

-How are you?

-I'm all right. You?

-Yeah, feeling a bit...

-Bit nervous?

-Yeah.

Yeah, that's to be expected.

-Yeah, well, nearly at the end of it now, aren't you?

-Nearly at the end.

Just hope it's all finished today.

Hopefully, the jury will go out by about midday-ish.

Sometimes it takes a few minutes, sometimes it takes a few days.

-Just have to wait and see, really.

-Ten minutes would be good.

-Yeah, it would, wouldn't it?

-THEY LAUGH

Thought about this day ever since it happened, but...

Who knows? The evidence has been given,

it's in the hands of the jury.

I mean, it's up to them to decide what the outcome is.

From her evidence she gave,

she doesn't remember the actual incident now.

She doesn't remember what happened.

Naturally, you would expect the male to be the perpetrator,

but in this case, it's very clear that Simon is entirely innocent.

I think Simon felt

that he had a certain responsibility as a man.

He had a certain responsibility as a member of the armed forces

just to play his part.

And if part of his relationship with his wife

meant that he had to take knocks and verbal abuse and financial abuse

and emotional abuse, which were all the things that she did,

he just saw that as part of his marital duty.

It's in the lap of the gods, really. It's in the hands of the jury.

We can hope that they'll return the verdict

that we think they should return,

but you can never tell with these things.

That's why I never...

-Never say...

-For definite.

Yeah, that there's cast-iron guarantees.

Simon and Roger are hoping the jury convict Crystal

of attempted murder.

But they could also go for a lesser charge.

We've got a verdict,

so I think Simon and his family are going to come out quite soon.

It's tense. Very tense.

Crystal has been given nine years in prison

for wounding with intent of grievous bodily harm.

Is that what you'd hoped for?

Well, hoped for the first offence,

but it's the second most that they could have done,

so yeah, I'm happy with that, definitely.

How are you feeling, Elaine?

I want to cry, I want to laugh.

-It's been a long day.

-Yeah.

While Simon's family are so relieved

and they can put this behind them,

she's facing a long time in prison,

a long time away from her daughter.

And that's kind of scary, because it's...

That's what happens when violence gets out of control,

and a case like this just shows that,

you know, irrespective of who the perpetrator is,

man or woman,

it just destroys lives.

Last time I was in Newcastle, Izzy was struggling to stay off the drink.

Now I find out she's in trouble again.

So, back in Newcastle today because Izzy is back up in court.

Not only because of the charges that we knew about, but because,

since we last met, she's gone and gotten herself into a whole heap

of trouble, and she's facing four more counts of assault.

With Izzy, I always know how the story begins.

She got drunk.

This time, at a friend's house.

Then she had to travel back through the centre of Newcastle.

She stopped at Central Station, and was smoking a cigarette

when she was approached by police.

The police officer said, "You cannot smoke inside the station.

"You need to put out the cigarette." But Izzy told him to eff off

and then when he came towards her, she kicked him.

He called for backup, and Izzy fought against both of those two as well,

before all three of them carried her out of the station

to a nearby police van.

Even when she got to the police station,

she then attacked the detention officer.

All of this comes on top of the original charge -

the racial abuse and assault of a hospital security guard.

Today, Izzy's appearing in North Tyneside court.

She will plead guilty

and will be sentenced for five charges of assault.

I have spoken to Izzy this morning and, you know, she is...

She's more nervous than usual, and that's totally to be expected.

She also has her bags packed, and she is, in her head,

ready to go to prison. So whether or not she does,

we'll find out in the next couple of hours.

In Izzy's favour, she's seeing an alcohol counsellor.

She's also seeking help with mental health issues.

Well, the long and short of it is,

she's not going to prison.

She got pretty much everything else.

The magistrate came straight out and said,

"Listen, you're very lucky you're not going to prison.

"Next time, you will be going to prison,

"but I think you have potential to sort yourself out."

If Izzy offends in the next 12 months,

she'll face an 18-week prison sentence.

In the short term, she has a tag, a 7pm curfew,

and a ban from all licensed premises.

-You were pretty lucky to get away without going to prison.

-Oh, yeah.

-She pretty much did everything except send you to prison.

-Yeah.

But she's given us that chance now, that my solicitor pleaded for,

and I'm going to hopefully not prove them wrong

and just prove to them that I am going to change.

Do you really think you're going to change? Cos every time I speak to you, sometimes you say,

"Yeah, I'm going to change," other times you're, like, "Yeah, I'll probably reoffend."

No, no, I think...

I can't go... That's not my life, in and out of court

and in and out of police stations.

It's not my life. I want my old life, so yeah.

I'm not going to at least offend.

I'm going to try and stay abstinent from drink.

-Try.

-No drink at all?

-No.

-Think that's a good shout.

-Yeah.

What are you going to do tonight?

Have a Chinese and watch Big Brother.

THEY LAUGH

Come.

Izzy and the other women I've met for this film

have all done terrible and, in some cases, terrifying things.

# There's nowhere to run There's nowhere to hide

# I've lost my sanity

# Vision's blurred I'm losing sight... #

But they aren't people you could easily dismiss as 100% bad.

# Trapped beneath the bruises No make-up can disguise these

# Crying to sleep No sense of direction... #

Young offenders can leave violence behind and become good parents.

But avoiding fights isn't easy. Sometimes, they find you.

And that's what makes this problem so hard to deal with.

Oh, this is scary for me. Hold on tight, all right?

You know, so much of this girl violence is utterly pointless,

and given that it's actually getting worse,

the chances are that the public and the courts

are going to start getting tougher on women,

which means more and more girls are going to end up

wasting their lives in prison.

# Where do I fit in? Somewhere I must belong

# I'm feeling like an outcast Society did me wrong

# Cos they couldn't see the signs Let me slip through the system

# Now I'm just another statistic

# So I keep a bottle close It's the only friend I know

# Plus, it helps to numb the pain Till the very next day... #