Boy advised off so sternly by household that police selected to not cost him

A boy of 14 caught up in the post-Southport riots was so sternly told off by his parents that police and prosecutors decided to take no further action.

The Director of Public Prosecutions said the anger of the mother and father, who took their son to a police station after learning of his part in the disorder on social media, was punishment enough.

Stephen Parkinson said: ‘The wrath visited on that child by his parents was more effective than anything the criminal justice system could deliver.’

But he said there were others who viewed taking part in the riots as a leisure activity, with ‘families regarding it as a day out’.

Mr Parkinson, who took up the post as head of the Crown Prosecution Service last year, said he is ‘very alive’ to the risk of children being criminalised unnecessarily after becoming involved in the riots, which erupted in the wake of July’s Southport stabbings which left three young girls dead.

Riot police hold back protestors in Southport on July 30, 2024

Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Stephen Parkinson said: ‘The wrath visited on that child by his parents was more effective than anything the criminal justice system could deliver’

One of the youngest defendants was a 12-year-old boy who hit the headlines after his mother chose to fly to Ibiza for a holiday the day before he was due in court.

A judge later ordered her to pay £1,200 compensation and go on a parenting course. The boy was given a 12-month referral order after admitting violent disorder.

‘Sometimes the state has to intervene,’ said Mr Parkinson. ‘A referral order would mean that rehabilitation can take place.

‘That’s the objective with youngsters, not to criminalise them, it’s to put them on the right path.’

According to data collated by the PA news agency, more than 600 people have been charged over the Southport disorder.

Of these, 75 are children under the age of 18 – 13 per cent of the total.

Mr Parkinson said the first sentence handed down in connection with the riots ‘sent shockwaves’ and helped stop further violence. 

Police officers stand their ground as far-right protestors shout ‘Enough is Enough’ in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport

A police van is set on fire in Southport during the riots

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer walks with a floral tribute for the three child victims of a knife attack in Southport

He added that the CPS was ‘proud of the way we responded’.

He said the CPS would ‘review’ its part in the disorder prosecutions and ‘reflect on lessons to be learned’.

And Mr Parkinson said his ‘highest priority’ over the next year is tackling delays in cases progressing so ‘justice is delivered more quickly’, as well as providing better support for victims in a bid to cut the number withdrawing from prosecutions.