A UK teenager who threw eggs and flour at a disabled woman says he won't apologise for his actions because he's received death threats.
Cohan Semple, 18, was one of five young men who harassed 49-year-old Janice Morris in a park in Suffolk in July.
The group approached Ms Morris as she sat on a bench and asked her questions about drugs. One boy spat at the woman, while the others laughed and taunted her.
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The youths went to a nearby shop and returned minutes later armed with eggs and flour, with which they pelted her as she cowered on the bench.
Semple took a photo of his friends posing around Ms Morris, who can be seen hunching over, her entire body covered in flour.
He then posted the photo to Snapchat, and someone else took a screenshot of the image and shared it on Facebook. It quickly went viral and caused international outrage, and the young men in the photo were soon identified.
They were all arrested the day after the attack on Ms Morris, who has mental health issues and has been classed as a vulnerable person by police. When officers visited her hours after the attack, they found she was still covered in flour.
The prosecutor told Ipswich Youth Court on Thursday (local time) that Ms Morris was "shocked" by what the youths did to her, and that she felt too upset to return to the park.
Five of the teenagers, including Semple, pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour while a sixth denied the charge. Semple will be sentenced in December, while the others were sentenced to 12-month referral orders and must pay the victim £100 (NZ$194) in compensation.
Semple, who turned 18 in October, is the only culprit to have been named so far as the others cannot be identified due to their age.
He says he's "struggling to leave the house" since being outed.
"Since those pictures have gone on Facebook, I've had death threats from random people," he told The Sun.
Because of the threats he's received, he says he's not ready to apologise for what he did to Ms Morris.
After his arrest he told police he regretted what happened and that he didn't intend for the photo to be seen by the public.
When asked if he thought the attack was funny, he replied: "No comment."
Newshub.
