An 11-year-old boy has become one of the youngest people arrested in connection with the riots that struck the UK earlier this month.
The boy was arrested as part of a wave of detentions carried out by Cleveland Police in Teesside on Wednesday. Police in the region have vowed to catch anyone who was involved in the riots in Hartlepool and Middlesborough, which saw some of the worst scenes in the country.
He is the second 11-year-old arrested in the region in the aftermath of the riots after one was detained on 1 August on suspicion of arson following the burning of a police car.
Around 60 children between the ages of 10 and 18 have been charged as part of the nationwide clampdown on those who were involved in the riots that followed the Southport stabbings. Over 140 have been arrested.
The chair of the Youth Justice Board told the Guardian earlier this week that authorities should only prosecute people under the age of 18 who were involved in the riots as a “last resort.” Keith Fraser said it was a “real worry” children as young as 11 had got caught up in the riots but urged prosecutors to not reach rash decisions and take each on a case-by-case basis.
Here Yahoo News UK details some of the actions of the children who got involved in the riots and some of the crimes they have admitted to carrying out. Anyone under the age of 18 charged with a crime is automatically granted anonymity by the courts so they cannot be named.
On 12 August, a 12-year-old boy pleaded guilty to two charges of violent disorder in Manchester at the end of July. He was filmed kicking the window of a vape shop and throwing missiles at a police van.
Another 12-year-old pled guilty on the same day to committing violent disorder in Liverpool.
A 14-year-old was among 12 people who were collectively charged with carrying out disorder outside Downing Street on 31 July. The disorder was organised by far-right groups with demonstrators seen launching beer cans and glass bottles in Parliament Square.
A teenager was the first person to be charged with the more serious crime of rioting on 15 August. Previous charges had mostly been for violent disorder.
The teenager had already pleaded guilty to violent disorder and burglary before he was informed the Crown Prosecution Service also wanted to charge him with rioting. The teen was joined by his mother in the dock with his father watching from the public gallery. The case was adjourned for two weeks.
A teenager pleaded guilty to stealing the vapes a week after he was involved in the riots in Liverpool. He used the electric scooter to smash the window of a shop before stealing its contents. He then went to a second shop and stole a further £4,000 worth of vapes.
He was also recorded smashing a police vehicle’s windscreen and helping pull a police officer off his bike.
The teen was part of a sweep of criminals who were convicted of disorder during the Rotherham riots. He was seen throwing missiles and bottles towards police officers and dogs.
After he was arrested he claimed he had gone for a peaceful protest but it just “kicked off.” He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was referred to the Barnsley Youth Offending Service for 12 months.
At the same time as the 16-year-old was sentenced for his involvement in the Rotherham riots, a 17-year-old was also punished after his brother turned him in.
He was recorded wearing a face covering throwing large pieces of wood panelling at police officers. He was also seen pulling his mask down to shout abuse at the police, which to his face being captured on a video that was seen by his brother, who then reported it to the police.
He was handed a 16-month detention and training order at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court.
A 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour after attending a disturbance near Whitehall on 31 July. The boy called officers p****s, c**** and also threatened them, according to the Kent Messenger.
In response to the wave of right-wing protests the 17-year-old joined an anti-EDL protest outside a McDonald’s in Birmingham. Many of those who attended were in masks and police said a small pocket of disorder broke out. The teen was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and charged with the offence.
