A judge has slammed a teenager who claimed he had “gone to buy drinks” before a group of masked youths tried to break into a shop. The 17-year-old was among a number of young people seen during protests and counter-protests outside the market in Bolton town centre on August 4 this year.
There has been unrest across the country following online misinformation about the identity of the murder suspect of three children who were killed in Southport last month, including in areas of the north west such as Newton Heath, Manchester city centre and Bolton. Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that the boy, who was 16 at the time but has since turned 17, was caught on CCTV wearing a face mask.
The court heard that police were deployed to try to keep the peace between the two parties, but 20 to 30 youths then continued to cause a disturbance. Prosecutor Hannah Nicholls said: “This boy was one of the youths, he was involved in an incident at a store, AMZ Convenience Store. The owner had been running it for 11 years.” Join our WhatsApp news community here for breaking news
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“He decided to open the shop around 1pm. He saw a lot of people with masks and police outside the shop and realised people were protesting. He decided to close it until things calmed down.”
Later that day the situation appeared to calm down and he decided to open his shop, he said. However, just fifteen minutes later, while waiting at the till, he saw a masked individual on a bicycle outside, the Manchester Evening News reported.
“He then got off the bike, threw the bike away and looked at it from outside the shop,” Ms Nicholls said. “The owner became worried and ran to the front door because he was worried he was going to be robbed.”
“He heard the male shouting at someone and then three or four people came immediately and tried to open the front door, pushing, kicking and banging on the door. He took his keys out of his pocket to pull the shutter down and the lads tried to stop it from coming down.”
“At that time I could hear a lot of people yelling: ‘You’re coming back, you’re not a good person, you son of a bitch.’ He believed they were trying to rob the store.”
After successfully lowering the shutters, the owner remained inside the shop and heard the group banging on them for several seconds before they eventually dispersed. The glass door was completely shattered and the wooden panelling damaged, with the total cost of repairs estimated at between £1,200 and £2,000.
In his personal victim statement, the shop owner stated: “I was worried about my safety and protecting my shop. I was scared because I was alone at the time.”
“I felt like I was being targeted because of my race. It made me feel bad. I’ve lived in this country for a long time and my kids grew up here. Now I stand outside my store in fear of being targeted again. I’m constantly nervous.”
In mitigating circumstances, Dan Gaskell, representing the boy, pointed to his client’s previous conviction for possessing a bladed article, for which he had a referral order. He highlighted the boy’s “good motivation” to engage with youth justice services and his “limited role” in the violence at the shop.
“This is a young man with a complex past. He was left to his own devices as a child and is in the care of the local authority. He is young enough to learn from his mistakes,” Mr Gaskell added.
District Judge Margaret McCormack asked the boy: “What have you to say for yourself?”, to which he said: “First of all, I’m sorry about the shop. I didn’t mean to damage the shop. I just wanted to go and get a drink in the first place.”
The judge interrupted him harshly and replied: “No, I will not allow that. I was not born yesterday. I saw that footage, it was very different.”
“Don’t come here and insult me by saying you want to go and buy something. I’ve seen how threatening those groups of young men are, in masks.”
“Don’t test my patience, it was a very volatile situation. The man in that shop, whether you were there or not, was subjected to racist abuse. He was born and raised in this country. He was running a business. That could have been taken away from him. Do you know how serious it is?”
The young man quietly replied, “Yes.” Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox
“I’ve read your background, and you had a terrible upbringing that no child should be subjected to. But you know the difference between right and wrong. You know you did wrong,” the judge told him.
He then asked the defendant for any final words and gave a cautionary instruction: “What else have you got to say to me? And don’t treat me like I’m stupid.”
The boy replied apologetically, “I’m just so sorry and it won’t happen again.”
The young defendant pleaded guilty to criminal damage and violent disorder charges, including a 12-month intensive youth rehabilitation order, a three-month electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am, activity requirements for up to 91 days and youth justice service supervision. The court also ordered him to pay £200 compensation to the shop owner.
Sentencing the teenager, District Judge McCormack issued a stern warning: “If you come back it won’t be me who sends you to prison, it will be you.”
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