A 15-year-old boy helped kick a young woman to death because she was a goth, a court has heard.

The teenager was in a gang of five who were "acting like a pack of wild animals" as they "savagely and mercilessly" attacked Sophie Lancaster, 20, and her boyfriend, Preston Crown Court heard.

Sophie, a gap-year student, had moments earlier begged the gang to stop beating her boyfriend, art student Robert Maltby, 21. The accused had started the violence, with a flying kick to the head of Mr Maltby, the jury was told.

The gang, "encouraging each other and laughing" punched, stamped and jumped on his head until he was unconscious, Michael Shorrock QC, opening the case for the prosecution, told the jury.

Sophie had pleaded with them to stop and tried to pull them away, witnesses to the attack, on August 10 last year, in Stubbylee Park, Bacup, Lancashire, told police.

But as she kneeled down, cradling her boyfriend's head on her lap, calling for help, the accused and another teen, who has already pleaded guilty to murder, turned on her.

The second boy, aged 15, at the time, kicked her in the head, with the accused joining in to kick and stamp on her head.

One witness, a boy, 15, who had tried to stop the violence, told police, "It looked like they were running over and just kicking her in the head, jumping up and down on their head... they were kicking her all over her head."

Mr Shorrock said the gang had turned on the young couple simply because they were Goths or "moshers" - and dressed differently to them.

When paramedics arrived they could not tell what sex Sophie was, such was the severity of injuries to her face. She died in hospital nearly two weeks later.

Mr Maltby survived but has not made a full recovery.

The accused, and four other youths, two aged 17 and one 16, have already pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm to Mr Maltby.

But the accused denies murder, saying he took no part in the attack on Miss Lancaster.

None of the teenagers involved can be named because of their age.

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