2 teenage girls accused of beating alcoholic in Durham to death and posting pictures on Snapchat

Two teenage girls aged just 13 and 14 are accused of brutally beating a woman to death in her home then posting images mocking her to Snapchat, a court has heard. The two teens are alleged to have beaten Angela Wrightson, 39 to death with a variety of different implements, including a wooden stick, a TV set, a computer printer and a coffee table.

She was found naked from the waist down with a total of 100 different injuries at her home in Hartlepool, County Durham, on 8 December 2014 by her landlord. Other items such as a kettle and a metal pan were used to torture the well-known alcoholic, together with a glass ceramic vase and a glass ornament.

The trial into her death is taking place at Leeds Crown Court and the teenagers, who are both charged with murder, cannot be named because of their ages. They are now 14 and 15 years old.

Opening the case, Nicholas Campbell QC said according to the Metro: "It became clear that she (Ms Wrightson) had been the victim of a sustained and a brutal attack. The evidence at the scene of the crime showed that she had been assaulted on 12 separate locations within and around that room. A number of implements were used."

Both of the teenage defendants accept that they were present at the time the injuries were inflicted and the older girl even says that she struck Wrightson - who was described as small in stature. The court heard how the close friends had been in local authority care and had an intense relationship.

The court heard that despite her demons, Wrightson was well liked in her community and would often give chocolates to young children and fed the local dogs. She was known locally as 'Alco Ange'.

The prosecution affirmed that on 8 December at about 7.15pm the girls let themselves in to Wrightson's home and remained inside for the next three-and-a-half hours whilst the sustained attack took place.

It is claimed that the younger girl took selfies showing the defendants smiling with Wrightson in the background alive but 'not smiling and her face marked'. They allegedly trashed the house, drank cider and left at 11pm.

The girls are said to have returned at 2am where it was said it was likely that Wrightson was already dead. The trial continues.