Five youth plead guilty in 2024 swarming of girl in Kelowna, B.C.

KELOWNA — Prosecutors say five youth involved in a violent swarming of a girl in Kelowna, B.C., last year have entered guilty pleas.

Damienne Darby, a spokeswoman for the BC Prosecution Service, says one young person pleaded guilty to one count of assault in January and was handed a sentence of two years’ probation in April.

Darby says four other young people have since entered guilty pleas to the same charge, with court appearances scheduled in June and July.

The offenders cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Video captured the violent swarming of the girl last September at Gyro Beach on Okanagan Lake, where police said about 30 people were present.

The video shows a girl grabbing the victim and shoving her to the ground before another punches her several times about the head, while others in the crowd kick at the girl, then laugh as she lies immobile on the ground.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.

The Canadian Press