Two Months Preventive Detention For Two Youths Who Attacked Classmate
Violence in public school has become an important issue over the past week, following the attack of 12 year old Tatiana Jarquín Cortés by her classmates. Yesterday, the Juzgado Penal Juvenil de San José (San José juvenile court) ordered two of the four youths involved in the attack to two months of preventive detention (jail).

Tatiana was savagely attacked by four youths when she was returning to the Colegio Experimental Bilingüe, in La Trinidad de Moravia, after having gone home for lunch. The young girl was intercepted by her attackers on her way back to school, cutting her face with a cutter.

Two of the attackers are in the same school with Tatiana. The other two are from a nearby school. All the attackers are aged between 14 and 16.

The two being held by authorities will be staying at the Centro de Formación Juvenil Zurquí, a reform school, specially for troubled children. The four will be facing attempted murder charges, assault and causing bodily injury.

The young girl Tatiana was left with a 13 centimetre (5 inch) scar on her face and very frightened, said her mother following the attack last Friday.

Tatiana's mother added that envy and jealousy may have motivated the attack on her daughter, a dispute over a boy. "My little girl is pretty and flirty, making the other girls jealous and envious", said Patricia Ortiz of her daughter.

Apparently, Tatiana was going out with a 16 year old boy from another school and had been threatened to stop the relationship or face the consequences. The boyfriend also received a threatening letter, who immediately went to authorities that led to the identification of the attackers. The boyfriend was making his complaint at court house when the attack occurred.

The identities of the attackers and the boyfriend have been withheld by authorities.