BASINGSTOKE – Far from the madding crowd in a small court room in southern England, a 13-year girl held her mother’s hand as she pleaded guilty to participating in Britain’s worst riots in over a decade.
Prosecutors warned the girl, who wore a cream jumper and cycling shorts, could face a custodial sentence after being caught kicking and punching the door of a hotel housing asylum seekers in nearby Aldershot on July 31.
The girl, who cannot be named, was among a number of schoolchildren and elderly arrested during a week of disorder across England in which rioters targeted hotels for asylum seekers, looted shops and libraries and injured scores of police.
Officials have blamed far-right agitators for fuelling the disturbances, including supporters of the former English Defence League, an Islamophobic group founded in 2009 which had close links to football hooligan “firms”.
Northern Ireland also saw violence, with police blaming pro-UK loyalist paramilitaries for helping stoke unrest in Belfast.
The violence has heightened official concerns about how quickly crowds mobilised nationwide — and whether it could happen again.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed swift justice against those involved, who he branded “thugs”.
But the presence of the young and old hints at deeper issues blighting deprived, disaffected communities.
An 11-year-old boy was charged with offences including possessing petrol bombs, during trouble in Belfast, while two 12-year-old boys were convicted of violence towards police in Manchester, northwest England.
Around 50 youths under the age of 18 have been charged, according to police figures.
At the other end of the spectrum, a 69-year-old man has been accused of vandalism in Liverpool.
The family of Kieron Gatenby, 19, sobbed in court as he was sentenced to 16 months detention in a centre for young offenders after being filmed throwing an egg during riots in Hartlepool, northeast England.
His lawyer told the court that Gatenby “does not claim to be especially bright”. He had never expressed racist sentiments, and “was clearly caught in a wave of madness, and his youth played a role in that,” the lawyer added.
A mass stabbing in Southport, a small town in northwest England, was the spark for the riots.
The day after the knife attack — in which three girls were killed as they took part in a Taylor Swift themed dance event — disturbances erupted in the town and a mosque was attacked.
False rumours initially blamed the stabbing on a Muslim asylum seeker, but police said the suspect was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.
The day after the unrest, an AFP journalist in Southport overheard a youth saying he was “looking forward” to more violence. The youth was headed towards the scene of the previous disorder with two friends and a crate of beer.
Local resident Patrick, 22, witnessed the unrest. He told AFP it was “idiotic” for the rioters to target a mosque. But he said attacks on police were partly caused by widespread and deep-rooted anger towards the establishment.
Seven of England’s 10 most deprived areas experienced riots, while many affected places also have a higher than average percentage of asylum seekers in taxpayer-funded accommodation, according to a Financial Times investigation.
Wives, girlfriends and mothers watched at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday as accused rioters were charged with affray, assaulting police officers and racially-aggravated violence.
Across the country, some 1,024 people were arrested and 575 charged, leading to a scramble to create more prison places.
One 22-year-old threw a vacuum cleaner through a house window, leading to a 26-month jail sentence. Another man received a three-year term for grabbing a police officer’s baton.
Others have been mocked, including John Honey, 25, who went viral after looting pastries from a budget bakery chain — and items from other stores — during violence in Hull, northeast England.
A judge delayed sentencing Honey after learning that a prison officer claimed Honey had asked if he wanted his autograph “as he is famous and is all over social media”.
Like many convicted, he likely now faces a tough jail term as authorities try to deter a repeat of the rioting with stiff sentences.
