Manchester rioter’s mum to pay compensation after Ibiza trip

A mum who went on holiday to Ibiza rather than attending her son’s sentencing hearing for his role in riots has been ordered to pay compensation.

Her 12-year-old boy was said to have shown the “worst type of feral behaviour” during two separate episodes of disorder in Manchester on 31 July and 3 August.

The 30-year-old mother was ordered to pay £1,200 compensation – approximately the same price as her holiday – and attend a six-month parenting course.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, was handed a 12-month referral order and told had he been an adult he could have been sent to prison for between four and five years.

The boy admitted two separate episodes of disorder, the first when he was part of a mob that attacked a bus outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Manchester on 31 July.

Then just days later he was part of a group filmed kicking the windows of a vape shop and throwing a missile at a police van.

District Judge Joanne Hirst told the youngster at Manchester Magistrates’ Court he had displayed “the worst type of feral behaviour”.

His mother, who had told the judge her holiday to the Spanish island had cost £1,000, was ordered to pay £300 each to the bus driver, a housing officer at the asylum hotel, an asylum seeker who was on the attacked bus and a member of staff at the looted Sainsbury’s store.

The judge told her: “You know it’s approximately the same cost as your holiday to Ibiza.”

His mother flew abroad for a five-day break the day before her son was due to appear in court on 2 September for sentencing.

The boy was accompanied to the hearing by his uncle but Judge Hirst said the mother’s actions left her “frankly astonished” and said she would summon the woman to court to explain herself.

The judge asked the mother: “Can you explain your point of view?”

The mother said she spoke with her solicitor and the youth justice team and “it was not put to me how much I needed to be there”.

She said: “Each one said, ‘Is there an appropriate adult?'”

The mother said her brother was accompanying him “which is why I went on holiday”.

Parents can be ordered to pay financial penalties when their children have committed a crime under terms of The Criminal Justice Act.

The boy, who has ADHD, was described as a “lovely affectionate little boy” by his single mother, but who had at times a “chaotic” home life.

He told the judge he was “sorry”, and now had help from social workers and had taken up boxing.

The boy made no comment in his police interview but pleaded guilty to two counts of violent disorder at the first court hearing on 12 August.

Catherine Baird, defending, told the court the youngster had no previous convictions, adding: “This is a child. He simply got wrapped up, surrounded by peers, many of them were adults. Custody would do more harm than good.”

Under 18s appearing in youth courts cannot be identified for legal reasons so his mother cannot be named as that would lead to his identification.

The Crown Prosecution Service said in the disorder on 31 July at about 18:00 BST the boy was captured on CCTV as part of a group who became aggressive, throwing rocks and other missiles at police officers who were trying to protect the staff and residents of the hotel.

The boy was seen handing a rock to another boy at the scene.

Later, the group, who were in the road, stopped a bus full of passengers and the boy was seen on CCTV to kick out at the bus from his bike.

Widespread disorder broke out in towns and cities across the UK in July and August following the Southport knife attack in which three young girls were killed.

Additional reporting by PA Media