Coming face to face with someone who has attacked a member of your family is not an experience Julie Hempstall from Low Fell ever thought she'd be asked to do.
But a vicious unprovoked attack on her son Kevin, 15, on Bonfire Night led to a series of events that saw his attackers being arrested and held to account for their actions.
"It was terrible, something every mother dreads," said Julie. "I got a call to say my son had been hurt – at first I thought it was something to do with fireworks, but he had been beaten up by a gang of lads and was in a terrible state."
The attack left her son with a broken jaw and he later developed deep veined thrombosis and was off school for three months. Because of their age, the youngsters – who also attended the same school as Kevin - were given nine-month referral orders which led to Gateshead Council's Youth Offending Team getting involved.
The Youth Offending Team work with youngsters to help them face up to their responsibilities, acknowledge the damage they have done and offer the victims an explanation of why they did what they did at a Youth Offending Panel.
"At first we just wanted them put away for what they had done," said dad Neil. "But that wouldn't have addressed any of their behavioural issues – the panel involved everyone concerned and we felt part of the whole process. From being kept informed about what the attackers were doing as part of their referral order, to actually facing them and their parents at a panel meeting."
Being given the chance to confront the youngsters about the attack and let them know how it had affected the whole family was a crucial part of being able to move on.
Julie explained: "We could see that their parents were upset and horrified by what their kids had done. Many victims of crime never know the person who has attacked them – let alone meet them.
"For us, and Kevin in particular, it proved to be a positive experience. He was able to feel less like a victim and more in control."
Kevin was also able to choose the community service scheme that his attackers would have to help with as well as receiving financial compensation from them.
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