A 12-year-old boy who threw stones at police officers during disorder in Leeds has been given a referral order.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was 11 years old when violence broke out in the Harehills area of the city in July 2024.
He previously pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder related to him joining a group who overturned a police vehicle.
He appeared at Leeds Youth Court on Tuesday and was given a 10-month order, which requires young people under the age of 18 to take part in a programme aimed at preventing them from re-offending.
The court viewed CCTV and social media footage of the boy targeting the police vehicle as part of a large crowd.
He also threw stones at officers, punched emergency vehicles and threw a brick at a bus that had been set on fire by others.
In a clip shared on social media, the boy was heard to say: “Today was mad. We smashed the car. We did everything.”
The disturbance started after police officers assisted social workers in taking four children into emergency foster care.
The boy’s solicitor said he was immature, led by others and wanted to apologise for his actions.
The court heard the boy had been referred to the youth justice service following his arrest because he had damaged a police cell by drawing with crayons on the wall.
Youth justice worker Marian Popovici told the hearing the boy had been “remorseful from the very beginning for what he had done”.
District Judge Timothy Capstick told the boy it was “a very, very serious offence of violent disorder”.
He said: “It is shocking that an 11-year-old lad should get involved in such behaviour.”
The judge said the author of a pre-sentence report had concluded that the boy had seen the actions of adults and older children and “just copied” them.
The boy, who was joined in court by his mother, was told his parents would have to pay a total of £111 in costs.
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