A 13-year-old girl has admitted punching and kicking the entrance to a hotel housing asylum seekers.
A day after two 12-year-old boys became the youngest people to be convicted over England’s recent riots, the girl appeared before a district judge in Basingstoke. She is one of at least 50 people under the age of 18 who have been charged in connection with the recent disorder.
The girl sat with her parents during the short hearing at Basingstoke magistrates court, sitting as a youth court, on Tuesday.
She admitted a violent disorder charge in that she used or threatened unlawful violence that would cause a person to fear for their personal safety when she was with three or more other people. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the girl was seen punching and kicking at the hotel entrance.
Thomas Power, a senior crown prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “This alarming incident will have caused genuine fear amongst people who were being targeted by these thugs – and it is particularly distressing to learn that such a young girl participated in this violent disorder.”
District Judge Tim Pattinson ordered a pre-sentence report to be made and adjourned the case for the youngster’s sentencing to take place on 30 September at the same court. She was granted unconditional bail.
The violence took place at Potters International hotel in Aldershot on 31 July.
Hampshire police have previously said that an anti-immigration protest outside the hotel was initially a peaceful one, but it became violent at about 6.45pm in the evening. “A minority of the 200 people present got involved in criminal activity, throwing objects and subjecting people to racial abuse,” a spokesperson said.
Tuesday was another busy day for England’s courts as alleged rioters were fast-tracked through the system.
At Hull crown court, John Honey, 25, admitted charges that included looting a branch of the cosmetics chain Lush, the O2 store and Shoezone.
The court heard he also helped attack a car with three men inside, targeted a garage leaving nine vehicles damaged, and pushed bins at police lines during disorder on 3 August.
Sentencing was delayed until Friday after a judge heard of claims that Honey asked a prison probation officer if they “wanted his autograph as he is famous and is all over social media”.
At Sheffield crown court, a 19-year-old who admitted throwing lighted arrows and bricks at police protecting a hotel housing asylum seekers, was jailed for three years.
Drew Jarvis was filmed lighting an arrow with a lighter and throwing it at officers during the rioting outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August, a judge was told.
The unemployed father of one, of no fixed address, but originally from Barnsley, admitted violent disorder last week.
A judge at Chester crown court jailed two men who posted racist messages on Facebook.
Christopher Taggart, 36, posted “Who’s up for a rally?” to which Rhys McDonald, 34, replied: “Need to march on the Daresbury Hotel with torches and pitchforks. Enough is enough.”
In another post McDonald wrote: “They need to protest at the hotels where these animals are living. No good in Liverpool city centre. Get to the Daresbury.”
One person commented: “Daresbury Hotel needs to go.”
The two men, both from Runcorn, pleaded guilty to publishing written material to stir up racial hatred. Taggart was jailed for 32 months and McDonald for 28 months.
After sentencing, Ch Supt Alison Ross, of Cheshire police, said: “This should serve as a stark reminder against posting abusive messages online – we are all responsible for our actions, including what we post on social media.”
As of Monday, 975 arrests had been made and 546 charges had been brought in the wake of the disorder, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said.
By comparison, after the August 2011 riots, police made 4,105 arrests, according to a Home Office report published a month after the disorder broke out.
