12-year-old boy youngest to be sentenced over U.K. riots

Trouble flares during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, England, Sunday Aug. 4, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

LONDON -

A 12-year-old boy who threw stones at police during rioting outside a mosque has become the youngest person to be sentenced so far over far-right riots that erupted in England this summer.

The boy, who can't be identified because of his age, had earlier admitted to a charge of violent disorder in the town of Southport on July 31.

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District Judge Wendy Lloyd sentenced the boy Tuesday to a three-month curfew order and a 12-month referral order, which requires him to commit to a rehabilitative program.

She told the boy the riots had "shaken society to the core." "It was an angry mob and you chose to be part of it," she said.

Rioting in Southport kicked off soon after a stabbing attack at a dance class in the town that left three young girls dead. False rumors spread online that the suspect in the attack was an asylum-seeker.

The boy was part of a crowd of hundreds of rioters who set a police van on fire and tried to storm the Southport Islamic Society Mosque.

The violence quickly spread around towns and cities around the country, but the unrest fizzled out after the swift charging and sentencing of those found to be involved.

Police have made more than 1,000 arrests and brought more than 800 charges.