British police probe YouTube child-fight footage

Detectives and social workers were today investigating “appalling” footage posted on the YouTube website showing two young boys fighting each other.

The children, aged between 10 and 12, exchange punches, kicks and headbutts as a man filming the attack goads them into becoming more violent.

Police appealed for information to identify the two boys and the amateur film-maker, who is heard sniggering behind the camera as the pair fight.

He encourages the boys to “smack the s*** out of each other”, orders them not to hug and says: “You’re fighting like girls, fight properly.”

During one section, one of the boys looks into the camera and asks: “Kicking is allowed, isn’t it?” One of the boys shouts “He’s crying” after punching the second child in the face.

The video, entitled 'Lethal Fight (Crawley)', is believed to have been shot in a bedroom in the English town and posted on YouTube five days ago.

A second video, called 'Lethal Fight 2', was also posted on the video-sharing website and is believed to involve the same two boys fighting in the same bedroom.

Sussex Police were alerted to the videos, which have since been removed from YouTube, by the Brighton Argus newspaper, which today offered a £1,000 (€1,300) reward for a successful prosecution.

The force’s child protection team based at Crawley police station appealed for information leading to the identification of all three people in the videos.

Detective Sergeant Richard Harris said: “This appears to be a case of child cruelty and criminal behaviour by any adult involved in the making of this appalling video.

“Sussex Police child protection team and West Sussex Young Persons’ Services team will be working together to safeguard the welfare of the children and prosecute any adults involved in criminal behaviour.”

YouTube said it would co-operate with any police inquiry.

A YouTube spokesman said: “YouTube is a community site used by millions of people in very positive ways.

“Sadly, as with any form of communication, there is a tiny minority of people who try to break the rules.

“On YouTube, these rules prohibit content like pornography or gratuitous violence.

"When people see content that they think is inappropriate they can flag it and our staff then review it. If the content breaks our terms then we remove it and if a user repeatedly breaks the rules we disable their account.

“If the police ask us for information, we will cooperate, so long as they follow the correct legal process that the government introduced.”