A SINGER in one of the world's most famous bands has spoken out after a gang who attacked her friend in Southampton walked free from court.

Ana Matronic, singer with pop group the Scissor Sisters, was horrified to learn the group of two teenage girls and a 20-year-old man who inflicted wounds on friend Nina Meffen, did not even face charges for assault.

Battered and blood-soaked, Nina, suffered horrific injuries inflicted by the gang who didn't like the fact she is gay.

Her partner Carol Cashmore was also savagely attacked by the trio, who used their fists and were armed with wooden chair legs.

The unprovoked beating took place in front of Nina's ten-year-old daughter.

Shockingly, the attackers even bragged about it on a website as "gay bashing".

Ana phoned the Daily Echo when she heard the news to express her disgust.

But today the trio responsible - Charlotte Cousins, Lydia Lake and Thomas Young - remain in the community, after receiving community punishment orders after admitting their part in the attack. All three have been given curfew orders and are electronically tagged.

Unbelievably, Lake even continues to live in the same road - just a stone's throw away from where she attacked Nina Meffen and Carol Cashmore on the evening of July 31 last year.

The assault - which the three bragged about on a website as "gay-bashing and dyke-bashing" - happened as Nina and Carol were getting ready to go on holiday with Nina's ten-year-old daughter Jodie.

They had endured a number of incidents involving local youths who were targeting them because of their sexuality, including, they claim, bottles being thrown into their garden, shots being fired with a BB gun and their cars being vandalised on their driveway outside their home in North Baddesley.

The building tension, which had been reported to police on numerous occasions, resulted in the couple installing a CCTV camera outside their property - a move which was later to prove invaluable before the court.

On the night of the attack Carol, 42, had taken her car to a friend's house and was brought back to her home in Emer Close when the vehicle was surrounded by a gang of youths who had spilled out of a house nearby.

Nina, 36, who heard the commotion from inside, came out to see the fracas unfold and found herself being punched in the face by Lake before Cousins and Young joined in the assault on both women.

The cameras clearly show Nina falling back onto her driveway as Lake began waving a wooden chair leg around and lashing out.

Young then laid into the pair - who have lived together for six years - pushing them and dragging them to the floor where he swung a punch. Cousins then stood over Nina, who was lying on the floor, and held her head as she repeatedly bashed it on the pavement before dragging her along the road.

Recalling the terrifying ordeal, Carol told the Daily Echo how in between the blows to her head and body she caught a glimpse of her partner and thought she was dead.

"There were just blows raining down and it all started to become a bit of a blur. I looked up and saw two people on top of Nina just pummelling her with the wood.

"Then I heard screaming and I turned and saw Jodie at the door. Everything started to go in slow motion. She was just begging them to stop hurting her mummy.

"One of the girls picked up Nina's head and started smashing it against the ground. She was barely conscious, she was just lying their in our driveway, her clothes ripped and bloodstained. It was a bloody mess.

"I just didn't know what was happening. I thought at one point as she lay motionless that she was dead."

Carol managed to get Nina off the ground and inside the house where they called 999.

Ambulances and a rapid response car raced to the scene and both victims were taken to hospital.

Carol added: "Once we were inside they continued banging and kicking at the door. Jodie was hysterical and thought they were coming inside. I told the police that if they got inside our house I would do whatever I had to to make them stop. I have never been so scared in all my life."

Lake, Young and Cousins were all arrested over the attack, which ended when Lake returned to the scene and smashed up the car on the driveway outside - another incident caught on CCTV.

Described by a judge at Southampton Crown Court as "grotesque", Lake and Cousins both pleaded guilty to affray, having denied the charges for most of the proceedings while Young pleaded guilty to a public order charge.

Carol and Nina were both given anti-depressants following the incident which happened during daylight at about 8pm and together with Jodie the three have all undergone counselling.

Nina has also endured reconstructive surgery following her injuries, which included a badly broken nose which has caused her breathing problems that cannot be repaired.

The senseless assault also left mum-of-one Nina guilt-ridden about the fact she is a lesbian.

She said; "It changed all of our lives. I have lived in North Baddesley all my life and it was always a lovely place to be. We do everything we can to protect my daughter's innocence. No child should have to have witnessed what she did that night.

"To this day I cannot get her screams out of my head. It made me feel guilty about being gay because of what Jodie was put through."

But the couple are determined that the homophobic hate campaign won't ruin their lives. Carol said: "We have never had abuse like that before.

"We have always been so accepted where we live. It was such a shock that people could have such hatred that they were prepared to attack us so violently and all because they didn't like our living arrangements.

"We are a happy family with good friends and a good social life but who live slightly unconventionally.

"We considered moving but at the end of the day why should we be driven out of our home? "To get beaten up by a gang of youths anywhere is horrific but for it to happen on your own driveway with your neighbours responsible because they don't like the fact you are gay is beyond comprehension."