SHE could not recognise her 14-year-old daughter in hospital.

The Secondary 2 girl was beaten up so badly, allegedly by five schoolmates - four girls and a boy - that her forehead, arms and legs, were covered with bruises.

Incredibly, she was attacked in front of over a dozen onlookers, who did nothing to stop her being punched and slapped.

Some of them just stood there and recorded the assault using their handphone cameras.

And what had the victim done to deserve the thrashing? Apparently, she had just wanted to ditch her 'friends' and their bad influence.

The police have since picked up several people for questioning.

As a result of the attack which happened late last month, the girl has been in and out of hospital.

Speaking to The New Paper from her three-room Bukit Batok flat, her mother, Mrs Ng, recalled how shocked she was when the police called her with the news.

'I cried bitterly because my heart ached when I saw my daughter's injuries,' said Mrs Ng, who is in her 50s.

'Her attackers were really ruthless. Her spectacles were crushed in the attack.'

We are not giving Mrs Ng's full name as her daughter is still a minor.

The victim said that it all started on 25 Feb when her attackers surrounded her after school hours.

They told her to follow them to an HDB block in Choa Chu Kang with 15 other schoolmates.

'They said they wanted to talk to me. I complied because one of them is known to be fierce and violent,' said the girl, who studies in a school in the western part of Singapore.

'I didn't have a handphone with me so I couldn't call for help. I never expected them to attack me because we used to be friends.

'When we arrived at the HDB block, they told me they wanted to fight with me.'

The girl said the whole group was still in their school uniform when they took separate taxis to the HDB block.

There, they allegedly dragged the girl up the stairs and into the corridor of the third storey where five members of the group assaulted her.

During the attack, the girl also had a water bottle allegedly thrown at her face.

She said: 'I begged them to stop but they refused. Then someone shouted that the police were coming, and they ran off. Before they left, they warned me not to go to the police or my family would be harmed.'

Despite her pain, she managed to stagger to a nearby flat to get help.

A resident called the police and the girl was sent to the National University Hospital (NUH).

A police spokesman said the police had rounded up 18 teenagers for questioning later that day. They were released on bail, pending further investigations.

The girl believes she was attacked because she wanted to leave the group.

BECAME FRIENDS LAST YEAR

Showing The New Paper photos of the alleged attackers from her school's yearbook, the girl said they used to hang out in malls like Lot 1 and Causeway Point.

'But I realised I had fallen into bad company because I began skipping classes under their influence,' she said.

'They also vented their frustrations on me whenever their teachers scolded them. Each time they were scolded, they shouted vulgarities at me.

'I decided I wanted to concentrate on my studies because of streaming this year so I kept my distance from them. They were not happy about this.'

Mrs Ng also disapproved of her daughter's former friends.

She said: 'I saw my daughter and one of them at a pasar malam (night market) sometime last year. I didn't like her friend because she had tattoos on her body. But I kept quiet as I didn't want to offend that girl.'

Apart from bruises, the girl said the attack also left her with double vision and buzzing in her ear.

She was discharged the day she was admitted, but had to return to hospital the next day because of a severe headache.

She was hospitalised for two days and was re-admitted on 3 Mar for another three days for vomiting and giddiness.

On 10 Mar, she had to make a third trip to NUH after she swallowed 60 Panadol tablets.

'I had such a bad headache that I thought taking more Panadol would help. Instead, my stomach hurt and I had to be admitted again,' said the girl, who was discharged on Monday.

The hospital bill came to about $7,000 and Mrs Ng, a housewife, is worried because the family is not well-off.

She said: 'My husband is an odd-job worker who earns only $1,500 a month. I've had to borrow money from relatives to pay for my daughter's hospitalisation.

'The school has bought insurance for its students but it has not paid for the medical fees yet.'

When contacted, the school principal said he had spoken to medical social workers at NUH to help settle part of the hospital bill.

He said: 'I have informed the school's insurer but the claims will take time to be processed.'

The principal added that he has met the parents of the students allegedly involved in the assault.

One student has been expelled. The others are still attending classes.

The principal declined further comment as police investigations are ongoing.

Since the incident, the girl has been on medical leave.

She now plans to transfer to another school, fearing her attackers will look for her again.

She said: 'How do you expect me to go back to lessons if the attackers are back at school?

CONSTANT NIGHTMARES

'I can't sleep well and even when I fall asleep, it's only for three to four hours.

'I have nightmares about the attack and I'm afraid of switching on my handphone because I'm afraid those people will harass me.'

She is undergoing counselling at NUH to help her cope with the incident.

Child psychiatrist Brian Yeo said the girl's fears are understandable, considering the number of attackers involved.

Dr Yeo said: 'She needs help to re-adjust to school life...

'Missing school isn't a solution as it will affect her studies. If the assailants are found guilty of assault, they must be seen to be punished for the victim to feel that justice has been done.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Mar 22, 2008.