14-year-old boy will not be prosecuted for rioting despite strict reprimand from his parents

23 September 2024, 06:05

A 14-year-old who took part in the riots in England this summer was spared criminal prosecution after receiving a stern telling off from his parents.

Attorney General Stephen Parkinson said the anger of the teenager’s mother and father, who immediately took their son to the police station after learning of his role in the riots, was “more effective” than anything the criminal justice system could have done.

Mr Parkinson highlighted the behaviour of the mother and father and compared them to other parents for whom participation in the far-right riots was a “leisure activity”.

“We have come across cases where families have seen this as a day out where they can just go and join in the unrest,” he told the PA news agency.

“But conversely, we had a case where a family took their 14-year-old to the police station after seeing on social media that he was involved in the riots.

“And in fact, we concluded that the anger the parents had brought upon the child was more effective than anything the criminal justice system could do about it.

“And so we took no further action.”

Mr Parkinson, who took up the post as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in November last year, said prosecutors were “acutely aware” of the risk of needlessly criminalising children after they were involved in the unrest that broke out in some parts of the UK in the summer in the wake of the Southport stabbings.

During the riots, several young children were arrested, including an 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.

In August, two 12-year-olds became the latest people to be charged in connection with the riots. A 12-year-old boy from Southport was charged with violent disorder in connection with the Southport murders on July 29.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, was one of three men charged in connection with the riots that broke out a day after the stabbings of Bebe King, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe.

The other 12-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of violent disorder at Manchester City Magistrates Court.