A 13-year-old boy who threw items at police outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Newton Heath has been sentenced at court. The boy, from Manchester, who cannot be named due to his age, was charged with violent disorder as a result of his actions on Wednesday, July 31. Prosecutor Hannah Nicholls told the court that the boy was part of a group which became aggressive and threw missiles and became volatile towards police officers, with many members of the group taking part in racial chants.
Two other boys who were part of the action were sentenced on Tuesday, September 17. The court heard that the teenager, who had initially worn a mask, had been aggressive and appeared to throw objects towards police officers, before standing in front of a bus causing an obstruction, as well as trying to remove police officers’ hats and trying to push other youths into the officers. Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.
CCTV footage was shown of a bus being stopped, with other males kicking the bus while a terrified bus driver, who had to subsequently attend the Royal Oldham Hospital, asks his passengers if they are OK. In a victim personal statement read out to the court, the bus driver of 14 years said he had "never experienced this level of violence and aggression". He added: “This incident has left me visibly shaken and frightened to go back to work.
” Defending, Lucy Astley said the bus driver was a victim of assault, but not by the boy – with other people kicking the bus as he walked by. In response, a furious Judge Margaret McCormack said the boy "wouldn’t be so brave without a group". She added: “It’s the impact of the actions together, the cowardly actions together when they’re en masse, when the bus is being kicked at and smashed.
” Ms Astley continued to say the boy had spent most of his weekend in cells following the incident, and had compiled with a 7am to 7pm curfew since the incident. The court heard that the boy’s parents were "shocked and surprised" by the incident, with the boy said to have a "good family home". Directly addressing the boy, a visibly angry Judge McCormack asked the boy whether he knew anything about asylum seekers, the far right, or the girls in Southport – to all of which he said "no".
She added: “It’s a lot of mindless action. “It is part of your age that people want to be seen as part of a gang, but you’ve got to think what gang you want to be part of.” Follow The Bolton News on Facebook , Instagram , X (Twitter) , and TikTok .
The boy then apologised for his actions, and admitted the asylum seekers must have felt "awful". Judge McCormack added: “You are like a sheep following them on, and you have to be able to learn maturity to say no, because those are cowardly actions there.” The boy was ordered to pay £150 compensation to the bus driver – which Judge McCormack said "in no way" reflected "the trauma" he and others on the bus had endured.
He will also be subject to a 12-month referral order, with Judge McCormack asking for a focus on citizenship, asylum seekers, and peer pressure in his rehabilitation. She concluded: “You’ve dragged your mum to court for a terrible offence, coming straight in at 13, you’ve got an opportunity to turn this around, learn from it, and make her a son to be proud of, do you hear me?” If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.
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