Six teenagers who carried out a violent and frenzied attack on three men on a New Addington tram have all avoided immediate jail sentences.
Kieran Hawker, 18, Aaron Henery, 18, Robert Elsey, 19, Dean Riley, 19, and two 17-year-olds, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were involved in the violent assualt of three Afghans.
They were told this morning by Croydon Crown Court they would not face immediate jail terms.
Instead, they received youth rehabilitation orders, with unpaid work and suspended sentences.
Sentencing the group, Judge Shani Barnes said: "That night you were like a pack of dogs, you were a mass of terrifying young men.
"It did look to me like there was a lot of bravado going on and one minute of what can be called explosive violence.
"What happened to those three young men is appalling and I hope you are all ashamed."
Anthony Patton, 27, of no fixed address, was also part of a group armed with sticks and poles who attacked three Afghan males on Croydon bound tram at King Henry's Drive tram stop, New Addington, at about 8pm on October 1, 2011.
Violent: One of the victims was kicked in the head after a series of body blows
The court heard the tram was repeatedly bombarded with ballast thrown by the 20-strong group over a ten-minute period, before the group got on board an attacked the three men, kicking and punching them and striking them with sticks and socks filled with ballast.
Earlier the same evening the group had chased a number of men from Central Parade into a Shell petrol station on Parkway.
The court heard the group assaulted one man before fleeing as plain clothes Metropolitan Police officers arrived.
While the officers tended to the victim inside the petrol station, the group focused their attention on three other men, chasing them on to the nearby tram.
As the victims boarded the tram, one of the group pulled the emergency door release, preventing it from leaving the stop and causing all the doors to stay open.
All seven men have been sentenced for violent disorder:
Robert Elsey, 19, of Godric Crescent, New Addington
Sentenced to: 15 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months
18 months supervision order
36 hours at attendance centre
Kieran Hawker, 18, of North Downs Road, New Addington
Sentenced to:
13 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months
18 month supervision order
100 hours unpaid work
Aaron Henery, 18, of Milne Park East, New Addington
Sentenced to:
18 month youth rehabilitation order
18 months supervision
Specified activity requirement
Anthony Patton, 27, of no fixed address
Jailed for 12 months - after he finishes his current prison sentence four years after being involved in a burglary
Dean Riley, 19, of Cator Crescent, New Addington
Six month prison sentence suspended for 12 months
12 months supervision
Attendance at offending programme as directed by probation.
Boy A (cannot be named for legal reasons), 17, New Addington
18 month youth rehabilitation order
18 month supervision order
100 hours unpaid work
Boy B (cannot be named for legal reasons), 17
New Addington
12 month rehabilitation order
12 month supervision order
100 hours unpaid work
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