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A pair of "thuggish" teenagers who thought they could "swagger around doing what they wanted" punched a 16-year-old girl in the head after a petty row over tobacco.

Brittany Hayward, 19, and Olly Sargeson, 18, approached the teenage girl near shops in Hull on December 29 while "shouting about owing money for tobacco".

The pair approached the teen and rifled through her pockets, Hull Crown Court heard.

As the victim resisted she was punched in the head by her attackers.

The court was told that the pair thought they could "do what they wanted"

But their behaviour was labelled "thuggish" by a judge, HullLive reported.

Recorder Ian Harris, QC, told the pair at the crown court on Friday: "What you did was bullying, thuggish and insulting. This is an increase in violence and which could have resulted in serious injury.

"You have reason to believe you can do what you want and swagger around the streets. But that is not the case."

Prosecutor Neil Coxon said Sargeson had "emptied the pockets" of the teenage victim and then became aggressive as a 17-year-old friend of the victim tried to intervene.

He said: "The best evidence comes from the 17-year-old friend who saw the event and said that the defendant Sargeson had called the other girls names, like 's**g'.

"She emptied the pockets of the 16-year-old female victim while saying she had an issue with tobacco.

"She had been encouraged, according to this witness, by Brittany [Hayward] to do what she did."

Recorder Harris said he did not need to hear defence barristers Nigel Clive and Richard Thompson give any mitigation due to the facts being detailed in a pre-sentence report.

Hayward, of east Hull, and Sargeson, also of east Hull, both pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour to cause fear or violence.

The pair were sentenced to a community order to complete 70 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months and also partake in a ten-day rehabilitation requirement.

They were also slapped with a five-year restraining order banning them from contacting the victim.