A 15-year-old boy has become the first person to be charged with riot in the wake of recent disorder across parts of the country.
The Sunderland youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of riot following disorder in his home city on 2 August.
Rioting is an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison – double that of a charge of violent disorder.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the teenager is due to appear at South Tyneside Youth Court where he will be asked to enter a plea to the charge.
Gale Gilchrist, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North East, said: “This defendant is one of a number of individuals who we expect will be charged with riot, and as these are live proceedings we remind all concerned that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Northumbria Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson said those who took part in the unrest would be brought to justice regardless of their age.
He added officers were still trawling through hours of footage to build their evidence.
He said: “As that evidence picture continues to build, if it becomes apparent that an individual may have been involved in further criminality, they will be brought before the courts again and charged with the most serious offence possible.”
