Two boys, both aged 12, become youngest to be convicted of violent disorder during nationwide riots

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Two 12-year-old boys have become the youngest people to be convicted in connection with the nationwide public disorder.

One of the boys admitted throwing a missile at a police van as he pleaded guilty to two charges of violent disorder during two separate incidents in Manchester.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was part of a group that gathered outside a Holiday Inn hotel in Manchester on 31 July.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how he was filmed by police “kicking the front window of a vape shop” and was seen kicking a bus.

The other 12-year-old youth admitted a charge of violent disorder at Liverpool Youth Court, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

As of Monday, 975 people had been arrested with 546 charged following the two weeks of violence that started after three children were killed in an attack at a dance studio in Southport.

Misinformation about the ethnicity and religion of the suspect led to widespread rioting across the UK, with police tackling violent crowds in London, Hartlepool, Liverpool, Rotherham and Blackpool.

On Monday, the wife of a Conservative councillor appeared in court accused of encouraging people on social media to attack hotels housing asylum seekers.

Lucy Connolly, the wife of West Northamptonshire councillor Raymond Connolly, is alleged to have posted on X on the day of the Southport attack, saying: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b*****ds for all I care.”

The 41-year-old, of Parkfield Avenue, Northampton, was remanded in custody to reappear at the same court on 2 September to enter her plea.

Also on Monday, Downing Street said rioters could be released from prison after serving 40 per cent of their sentence, as part of the early release scheme.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said the early release scheme will be based on the sentence convicted criminals have been given and that there would be “no specific exclusion for the rioters”.

Among those to be detained was a 41-year-old man jailed for two years and eight months at Sheffield Crown Court for his part in the rioting outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

Ricky Hardman, who runs a haulage business, was arrested after a picture of him brandishing a piece of wood during the disorder on Sunday 4 August was published in a national newspaper, a judge was told.

In Manchester, a man admitted throwing a missile at police during “shameful disorder” in Bolton town centre on 4 August.

Niall Charnock, 31, was caught on social media footage breaking through a police barricade and throwing an object at officers.

At Teesside Crown Court, a 22-year-old who threw a vacuum cleaner through a house window and told a police officer, “I hope your children get raped”, during riots in Middlesbrough, was jailed for 26 months.

Thomas Rogers pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon after he was seen throwing bricks at police.

A teenager seen “celebrating” after throwing a rock which hit a police officer during riots in Darlington was detained for 18 months.

Cole Stewart, 18, was one of about 30 people who gathered outside a mosque in the town on 5 August.

Stewart was seen breaking a large boulder into smaller rocks and throwing them towards police, and was later spotted “celebrating with his arms in the air” when one struck an officer on the arm.

Also in the North East, a 34-year-old man admitted to sharing a video on TikTok in an effort to stir up racial hatred.

James Aspin, of Blyth, Northumberland, pleaded guilty to distributing a recording intending to stir up racial hatred, during a hearing at Bedlington Magistrates’ Court.

At Plymouth Crown Court, a man who grabbed a police officer’s baton and ran off with it during disorder in the Devon city was jailed for three years.

Guy Sullivan, 43, admitted a charge of violent disorder relating to the incident during protests in Plymouth on 5 August.