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A 15-year-old boy has become the first person to be charged with riot in a “surprising” decision, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, as law enforcement clamps down on suspects.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at South Tyneside Youth Court on Thursday, after already pleading guilty to violent disorder and burglary in Sunderland.
Riot charges can carry double the sentencing of the violent disorder other rioters have been convicted of – up to 10 years.
It is understood that riot charges are something the CPS is considering introducing nationally and not just in the north-east of the country.
A senior officer at Northumbria Police said if an individual may have been involved in further criminality, they will “be brought before the courts again and charged with the most serious offence possible”.
Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson said: “I hope this sends a really strong message that, no matter how old you are, if you took part in the recent appalling events in Sunderland, you will face really serious charges.”
However, the teenager’s defence lawyer said the situation “doesn’t sit comfortably with me, professionally or personally”, while the judge described it as an “unusual situation”.
His case has now been adjourned until 2 September so that his lawyer can discuss the evidence with him.
Also making an appearance in the courts today was a man who played a leading role in the violence that broke out in Southport, who was jailed for 30 months after throwing bricks towards officers and climbing on top of a white van.
Tom Neblett, 20, had been part of a mob that descended on a mosque near the scene of a triple stabbing in Hart Street, that saw three young girls killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Elsewhere on Thursday, a man “motivated by racial hatred” who punched and kicked a black man in the face during disorder in Manchester was jailed for three years and two months at the city’s crown court.
Prosecutors said father-of-two Joseph Ley was the “first to instigate physical violence” against the man, with his defence team telling the court that the 30-year-old “thought he was attending an event to celebrate British culture”.
At the same court, a man who threw bricks at police outside a hotel housing asylum seekers was jailed for two years and 10 months.
Paul Smith, 21, was sentenced for violent disorder following unrest outside the Holiday Inn hotel in the city on July 31.
Another man, who carried out a “spinning kick” against a shop window during disorder in Manchester, was jailed for 20 months.
The longest jail sentence so far is three years and four months, handed to Gareth Metcalfe, 44, of Southport, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was sentenced by Liverpool Crown Court.
A jail term of 38 months was given to Tyler Kay, 26, of Northampton, who was sentenced by Northampton Crown Court for publishing written material to stir up racial hatred.
The shortest jail sentences so far are two months, handed to Lee Dunn, 51, for sending offensive messages; and James Nelson, 18, of Horwich in Bolton, for criminal damage to property valued under £5,000.
Elsewhere, at Chester Crown Court, a 53-year-old woman who lived a “quiet, sheltered life” was jailed for 15 months after she posted an online message saying: “Blow the mosque up with the adults in it.”
Julie Sweeney sent the comment on August 3 to a local community Facebook group from her home in Church Lawton, Cheshire, which was later reported to the police.
In Sheffield, a 60-year-old man who pulled a police officer to the ground and grabbed a riot shield as the officer was trying to protect another hotel housing asylum seekers, was jailed for two years and eight months.
Source: independent.co.uk
