Feral gang used Snapchat to 'hunt' schoolgirl before brutal beating

Daily Mirror

21-04-2025

WARNING: DISTRESSING VIDEO. Sofia Todd's mum Eleonora Paluzzi said the horror attack in Paisley earlier this month left her daughter traumatised, with a video capturing her brutal beating
Paisley: Girl beaten after bullies track teen's Snapchat location
A gang of teen thugs used Snapchat to "hunt" a schoolgirl before brutally beating her in front of a group of horrified spectators.
Sofia Todd, 13, was enjoying a meal with her friends at the Black Rooster chicken restaurant in Paisley, just outside Glasgow, on April 16 when she was ambushed by a group of girls. Members of the group, who her mum said had bullied her "for months", had tracked her down to the eatery using the location feature on Snapchat, despite her having previously blocked them on the app. Shocking footage taken at the restaurant has captured the terrifying moment the girls descend on her with a flurry of kicks - leaving the helpless teen curled on the floor.
‌
A video sent to the Daily Record shows two girls mercilessly beating the girl while a third films after she was pulled from the restaurant by her hair, with the blows raining down until a member of staff pulls her free from the vile group. Sofia suffered a burst lip and sprained ankle, and was left covered with bruises.
Her mum, Eleonora Paluzzi, arrived after staff had dialled an ambulance for the girl, with doctors discovering she had suffered a concussion after she was rushed to Royal Alexandra Hospital. Ms Paluzzi said her daughter was "tormented" by the group of girls for months before the incident.
She added it was "sinister and terrifying" that her tormentors had managed to track her down despite Sofia having blocked them. She said: "Sofia has been tormented by these bullies for months. It got to the point where I had to pull her out of school because it was just too much. She blocked them all on Snapchat, yet they still managed to hunt her down.
"The fact they used the app to pin her down is sinister and terrifying. She had only just started to get her confidence back after she was cruelly tormented by them, it's sickening."
‌
Police have confirmed following the shock incident that two female youths, aged 14 and 15, were reported to the local authorities. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 7.30pm on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 we received a report of an assault on a 13-year-old female youth in the High Street area of Paisley. She was taken to Royal Alexandra Hospital for treatment. Inquiries were carried out and two female youths, one aged 14 and one aged 15, have been reported to the relevant authority.'
Ms Paluzzi said police had been patrolling the area when the group descended on young Sofia. She said: "There had actually been police patrolling the area at the time of the attack. They went into the restaurants but the two girls fled. Sofia has been left traumatised by this. It was bad enough with the bullying alone, but this has taken it to a whole new level."
‌
She added: "These bullies hunted my daughter down despite her taking every measure to stop them from contacting her and ultimately attacking her. I know that her video has also been shared widely on the app. Snapchat and other platforms are only facilitating and glorifying violence by allowing this to happen. It also should have better regulations around sharing the locations of young users."
A Snapchat spokesperson said: 'We strictly prohibit the glorification of violent behaviour on Snapchat. If we become aware of this content, we remove it and take appropriate action.
"On Snap Map, location sharing is off by default for all Snapchatters. Users must opt in to share their location, and they are unable to share their location with anyone who is not already their friend. If a user blocks another user, the blocked user can't view the other's location on the Snap Map."