by Dominic Harris

Schoolgirl Zoe Rivers suffered horrific injuries when she was attacked outside a Bristol takeaway.

The 16-year-old was left with a suspected fractured eye socket, two black eyes and a badly bruised face in the attack outside the Hotline kebab shop in Stapleton Road, Easton, and beaten up in the street.

Zoe, who goes to the City of Bristol College and suffers from epilepsy, said she feared for her life during the 15 minute-ordeal, in which she was punched and kneed in the face and head.

The girl who attacked her is a 15-year-old student at the City Academy, where Zoe went herself before she left in July to finish her GCSEs at the City of Bristol College in Bedminster.

Her attacker admitted the assault at Trinity Road police station on Sunday, but was let off with a final warning because of her age and previous good character.

Zoe, who lives in Barton Hill with her mum and younger brother, was in the kebab shop near Easton Swimming Pool eating chips with her friend Abbie Searle when the attack happened.

Zoe said: "The girl's sister came into the shop and told us to look over to the door. This girl was stood there and said to me 'come outside'.

"She asked me to fight her. She said I had been telling people I had beaten her up, which wasn't true, and then she punched me and kneed me in my face.

"I thought I was going to die. She was punching me in the temple and it could have caused an epileptic fit - I was scared for my life."

Zoe's friend Abbie, who was stuck inside the kebab shop behind a crowd watching the fight, called the police and an ambulance but claims that she was then threatened by the girl herself.

The 13-year-old, also a student at the City Academy, said: "The girl said 'why are you telling the police and teachers I want to beat you up? If you want me to beat you up I will'. Then she said she was going to beat Zoe up again."

The attack finally ended when one of Zoe's friends dragged her away and the girl and her sister ran off.

Zoe said: "I don't know how many times I was hit. I just tried to protect myself."

Police and an ambulance arrived and Zoe was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary with her mum, Michelle Pearce, where they thought she had a fractured left eye socket.

It was later found to be just badly bruised.

Dad Paul, 42, who is off work sick with a long-term illness and is separated from Michelle, said: "When we first went to the hospital she was hardly recognisable. I am livid. To think how somebody could do that with no reason is beyond me."

Zoe's family said they lived under a cloud of fear after the attack.

Mrs Pearce, 45, a night shift worker, said: "I didn't sleep properly after if happened and took time off work to keep an eye on my daughter. Her safety comes first."

Mr Rivers said he believed that the City Academy should do more to prevent similar incidents.

He said: "If I had known what was going on I would have dealt with it a long time ago.

"I now take her to college and pick her up at the end of every day because I don't ever want something like this to happen again."

The girl who carried out the attack was not excluded from the City Academy because the incident happened in the evening away from school.

Dr Ray Priest, principal at the City Academy, said: "I was made aware that a student from the City Academy had assaulted another person, and left the matter in the hands of the police."

Steve Game, a spokesman for Avon and Somerset police, said: "The girl was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, but this was downgraded to actual bodily harm because the injury only consisted of bad bruising around the eye rather than a fracture.

"The girl admitted ABH at Trinity Road police station on Sunday.

"She was released for consideration of a final warning being issued, and was not charged for the assault because she is a young offender and has previous good character."