THREE children have been stabbed in a vicious assault by a group of men. The victims, two girls and one boy, were attacked in the St Stephen's area of Canterbury.

One of the victims, a girl of 15, is likely to have been scarred for life after being slashed across the nose down the side of her face to her chin.

A group of about 20 youths, aged 14 to 17, had been camping in Beverley Meadow, the recreation ground that stretches from St Stephen's Road towards Canterbury West Station.

Two of them asked a couple of passing men for a cigarette at about 10pm last Friday. They were refused. There was an argument and the men left only to return with a gang of friends.

Knives were produced and in the disturbance that followed three local youngsters, who have not been named, were knifed.

They were taken to Kent and Canterbury Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The 15-year-old who was slashed across the face was taken from there to William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, for a two-and-a-half hour operation in the hope of minimising the scarring. All three were discharged the next day.

Six men, aged between 17 and 25, were arrested and have been bailed until November 2. Police said their group was of mixed nationalities, mentioning Iraqi, Palestinian and Kurdish, but those arrested all had Canterbury addresses.

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S KENTISH GAZETTE