A SCHOOLGIRL suffered a broken nose when she was beaten up while a gang of laughing teenagers filmed the assault on mobile phones.

Lauren Edmunds, a 16-year-old from Darlington, was lured into the attack by friends who invited her to a party to celebrate after she passed her GCSE exams with top marks.

When she got there she was ambushed by a girl who kicked, punched and banged her head into a wall.

A group of more than 20 teenagers cheered on her attacker - and laughed when a passing car nearly hit her as she tried to make her escape.

"I was really happy after getting my GCSE results but now I feel betrayed and isolated," said Lauren, who goes to Hurworth School.

"I don't want to speak to any of my friends now because I don't know who to trust.

"I don't want to go out at all any more. I just feel lost and empty."

Lauren spent Thursday celebrating with her family after she scored A*s and As in her GCSE exams.

Later that evening, she met up with a group of boys and girls in nearby Middleton St George - after friends invited her to join them with text messages during the day. After meeting the group at a bus stop, she was set upon by a girl.

Video footage recorded by a member of the gang shows the surrounding pack of teenagers goading on her attacker.

One boy is pulled out of the way and mocked by the group when he tries to step in to protect Lauren.

"I didn't really want to go out that night but my friends persuaded me to come," she said.

"When I got there, a girl came up to me and said somebody was looking for me. I turned to see what she was talking about, but when I looked back she punched me in the face.

"She kept punching me. I tried to ask her why she was doing it and said I did not want a fight, but she kept going.

"Whenever I tried to defend myself, her friends held me off.

"She kicked me in the back of the leg and then pushed me into the road. I just missed being hit by the car by a split-second.

"I knew every single one of the people there. They were shouting and cheering her on the whole time."

Lauren suffered a black eye, broken nose, and bruising to her arms and jaw. She was due to start a part-time job at a clothes shop this week, but had to phone in sick.

Her mother, Samantha, said: "She is going to the hospital to get her nose treated this week.

"The doctor said they will be able to reset it, but only if she can stand the pain.

"It is shocking that all those kids were there, but they did not try to stop this happening.

"They organised the whole thing for their own entertainment. That is why they filmed it. They were acting like animals.

"She had such a lovely day before that. She got her results and she had been into town to get a new necklace. We were all making a fuss of her. I cannot imagine how she must have felt. For a 16-year-old girl to go through something like this is terrible."

Lauren said the girl may have attacked her because of a misunderstanding over her role in the breakdown of a mutual friend's relationship with her boyfriend.

The film footage was given to her the day after the attack, by the gang member who recorded it on his mobile phone.

Lauren's uncle, John Edmunds, said the video footage had been passed to police.

He said: "This was a really serious assault.

"She was lured into this by friends. She thought she was going out to celebrate her results.

"She is really upset about this.

"The video is terrible. I will not even let my wife watch it because it is so appalling."

Police confirmed that a 16-year-old girl was arrested yesterday. Inspector Alan Watson said: "A suspect has been in custody and has been interviewed. Inquiries are ongoing."

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to call 0845-60-60-365.