Girl, 13, becomes youngest female convicted over violence as she arrives at court with mum and stepdad

Aldershot protests/Basingstoke Magistrates' Court

The teenager was charged with her part in "threatening violence"

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James Saunders

By James Saunders


Published: 13/08/2024

- 18:12

The teen admitted to threatening unlawful violence against a hotel housing asylum seekers

A 13-year-old girl has become the youngest female convicted over her role in the unrest which broke out across the country in the wake of the Southport stabbings.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal purposes, admitted to threatening unlawful violence against a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot in Hampshire.


The 13-year-old had been seen punching and kicking the entrance to Potters International Hotel in the town on July 31 following an anti-immigration protest.

She admitted threatening unlawful violence - which "would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his or her personal safety".

Anti-immigration protest in Aldershot

The girl was convicted following an anti-immigration protest in Aldershot

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The girl sat with her mother and stepfather throughout the short hearing at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court, where she was seen fidgeting in her chair.

A court official said she was granted unconditional bail - but the 13-year-old was told that she could have faced two years in prison had she been an adult.

District Judge Tim Pattinson ordered a pre-sentence report to be made before adjourning the hearing.

Kerry Richardson, prosecuting, told the court that if the girl had been 18 or older, she could have received two years in custody owing to the "serious nature" of her part in the disorder.

MORE ON VIOLENCE IN BRITAIN:

Basingstoke Magistrates' Court

The youngster's sentencing is set to take place on September 30 at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court

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Pattinson warned the girl she would be committing an offence if she did not attend the next hearing - and ordered her to "cooperate" with the terms of her probation.

The youngster's sentencing is set to take place on September 30 at the same court.

Despite the girl's age, she isn't the youngest person to have been charged or convicted for their part in the riots.

On Monday, police in Northern Ireland confirmed they had charged an 11-year-old boy "in connection with disorder" in south Belfast on July 15.

The child, just a year older than the minimal age of criminal responsibility, has been charged with riot, three counts of possessing petrol bombs in suspicious circumstances, and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

The youngest person known to have been convicted, a 12-year-old boy, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Youth Court to violent disorder for his role in the chaos in Southport itself.

While another 12-year-old boy pleaded guilty at Manchester City Magistrates' Court to two charges of violent disorder for kicking a bus and giving a rock to another minor outside a Holiday Inn housing asylum seekers.

At least 50 youths under the age of 18 have been charged in connection with the nationwide disorder.

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