Girls detained in youth detention centre following death of 75-year-old

Three teenage girls have been detained in a youth detention centre after they pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 75-year-old Fredi Rivero, who died following a completely unprovoked attack.

A 15-year-old and two 17-year-olds from north east London were sentenced to a combined nine years at the Old Bailey on Friday, 3 October.

The 15-year-old girl was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, one of the 17-year-olds was sentenced to three years and six months and the other 17-year-old was sentenced to four years.

The girls, who cannot be named because of their age, were seen on CCTV shouting at Fredi and pushing him after he waited at a bus stop on Seven Sisters Road on Thursday, 27 February. During the attack, Fredi was punched in the face, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement. Sadly, he died in hospital the following day.

They were arrested within hours of the attack by officers from the Metropolitan Police.

Fredi's daughter said:

“My dad was a kind, gentle, and polite man who was deeply loved by his family, friends, and the local community. He was my most loyal friend, and now he is my brightest star.

“He loved chess, calligraphy, the band Queen, and stargazing- an activity we both cherished doing together.

“He held strong values of integrity, dignity, and love, instilled in him by his family. He was a peaceful man who never went out of his way to trouble anyone.

“Our family has been left deeply affected and traumatised, we are now experiencing the profound grief and immense pain of losing him."

Detective Inspector Devan Taylor, who led the Met’s investigation said:

"Firstly, I would like to send my deepest condolences to Fredi family, they have showed remarkable strength throughout this horrible ordeal and are a testament to his memory.

"This was a completely unprovoked attack by three teenage girls, on an elderly man who was just going about his day. The fact they filmed the attack and found it funny is even more sickening.

“I’d like to thank the members of the public who assisted in our investigation and provided first aid to Fredi. Their witness statements were also crucial in helping us arrest the girls within hours.”

Officers immediately carried out a search of the area following the attack, tracking the girls down to a nearby park where two of them were arrested. The third girl was arrested at her home.

Once in custody the girls immediately began to blame each other for the attack, with one of the girls stating “I swear to god she pushed him and then he fell and hit his head. That’s nothing to do with me”.

Officers used CCTV and analysis of the girl’s phones to prove this wasn’t the case. Sickeningly, this found one of the girls had filmed the attack on Fredi.

They were charged with manslaughter on Saturday, 1 March and pleaded guilty on Thursday, 12 June.