A teenage boy has admitted to throwing an object “towards mounted police” during the disorder that rocked Bolton town centre last week. Riot police were called to Victoria Square and Bradshawgate on Sunday August 4 amid a stand off between demonstrators and counter demonstrators. On the afternoon of Monday August 12 a 16-year-old boy was brought before Manchester Magistrates Court, sitting as a youth court, in connection with the disorder.
Prosecutor Tess Kenyon said the boy was seen on CCTV on August 4 throwing “an object towards mounted police officers who were trying to disperse protesters.” She said that the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also seen “walking towards an ongoing protest with a weapon in his hand." Police on Bradshawgate (Image: Phil Taylor) Ms Kenyon added that video footage also showed him aiding looters by “holding up shutters of a convenience store while others are trying to get into the store”.
In a statement read out to the court, the shop owner said: “I believe it was targeted because of racism against me.” The boy pleaded guilty to violent disorder. District Judge Joanne Hirst said the case was “a very serious matter” and told the boy: “You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.
“Your mum deserves better than this, we all deserve better.” The boy was remanded to local authority accommodation and banned from Bolton town centre. He will be brought back to Manchester Magistrates’ Court to learn his fate o.