11 year old in Youth Court over racist abuse of neighbouring family
Categories: Latest News
Tuesday August 02 2016
The Lincolnshire Echo reports on an 11 year old boy who found himself in court on criminal charges after subjecting a family to “years of abuse”.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Lincoln Youth Court on charges of common assault and racial harassment after attacking two boys, one of them twice, and subjecting a family to verbal abuse.
The family reported the recent incidents to the police after a three month period during which the boy’s behaviour worsened.
At Lincoln Youth Court, the boy admitted guilt in connection with racist incidents occurring on March 13 and May 5 this year.
The court heard “On March 13 the couple came out of the house because the wife had a hospital appointment and the man said the boy shouted ‘Paki’ and ‘Muslim’ at them over and over again.
“He was also making a hooting sound and when they asked what his problem was he turned with his friends and ran off.”
Prosecutor Rod Chapman told the court the 11 year old also shouted racial abuse at the male victim as he walked with his daughter on May 5.
He added: “The victim said: ‘He also put his middle finger up at us twice and swore very badly. But I’d been told by the police not to respond because of previous incidents’.”
The court also heard evidence in relation to assault charges. The court was told that on three occasions the boy punched other boys while they were riding their bikes causing facial injuries.
The boy admitted two charges of racial harassment against the same family, two counts of common assault against two different boys his age on February 1 and March 13 this year, and a second charge of assault by beating against one of his victims on February 22.
Mitigating for the boy, Tony Freitas said the boy “accepts using racial words which, with hindsight, he does find unacceptable and wishes to apologise.”
Lincoln Youth Court ordered the boy to complete a 12-month referral order with the Youth Offending Team and pay compensation and court costs totalling £435.
The panel ordered compensation to the boy’s neighbours of £100 each for the two incidents of racial harassment, £100 to the boy he attacked twice, £50 to the other and to foot the £85 court costs.