13-year-old rioter regrets kicking door of asylum hotel – but claims she should not have a criminal record
The teenager’s mother described her daughter’s punishment as an ‘injustice’ and said she had expected her to get a ‘slap on the wrist’
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A 13-year-old girl has admitted she regrets kicking the door of a hotel housing asylum seekers during this summer’s riots – but insists she should not have a criminal record.
The teen is thought to be the youngest girl convicted of taking part in disorder which erupted in the wake of the fatal stabbing of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.
She was last month handed a 12-month referral order after she pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, meaning she must regularly meet with the Hampshire Youth Justice Service.
The offence could stay on her criminal record for up to 10 years.
However, the girl, who cannot be named due to her age, has now spoken out about the incident, insisting: “I made a mistake and did something stupid, but I don’t think I deserve a criminal record for so long.”
Police said the youngster was part of a small group that acted aggressively in an otherwise respectful demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot, Hampshire, on 31 July. She was seen violently kicking the doors at the hotel.
The girl told the Daily Express: “I am sorry and regret kicking the door. It was quite frightening at the time and there were men shouting outside and shouting inside the hotel.
“I was scared going to see the police and to court. I cried – it was horrible seeing my parents go through it with me. I’m worried about my future now and what jobs I might be able to get. I made a mistake and did something stupid, but I don’t think I deserve a criminal record for so long.”
The teen also denied she was racist after three months was added to her sentence due to the racially aggravated nature of the offence.
Her mother described the punishment as an “injustice” and said she had expected her daughter to get a “slap on the wrist” after the parents took her to the police station for a voluntary police interview.
However several days later they received a call from police to say they were coming round to charge her with violent disorder and she was due in court the following morning. The teen pleaded guilty after receiving advice from a duty solicitor.
“The whole thing has been surreal reading about my daughter’s case in the newspapers,” she said.
“If I had read that story I would have thought ‘Bloody hell, what kind of parents does she have?’.
“I don’t condone what my daughter did, but the sentence is so strong. It was a six-second clip played in court and it’s cost my daughter 10 years of her life.”
Violent disorder is a specified crime for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check meaning it can rule out an offender for certain high-trust roles in healthcare or childcare.
The mother revealed she also had to disclose that she voted Reform during a visit from social services, but hit back: “My political views are not relevant to how I look after my children.”
The woman continued: “I’m angry about it, to be honest. It feels like such an injustice. Do I think she did something wrong? Of course, I do, but punish it for what it was – a caution or similar.
“It feels like they just wanted the statistics... ‘Right, we’ve charged these people and charged these people. OK, now sentence, sentence, result, result’.
“If she turns 17 and wants to be a nursery school worker, she couldn’t – they wouldn’t allow her to work with children.
“People won’t know the context, they will just see ‘violent disorder’. She’ll be 23 when it’s removed.”
Over 800 people have so far appeared in court after violent disorder erupted across the country this summer with almost 400 handed prison sentences, according to the Ministry of Justice.
The Crown Prosecution Service said they acted swiftly during the riots to restore law and order, adding: “Our lawyers look carefully at the circumstances of children who are referred to us to make sure it is in the public interest to bring charges.”
A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: “If you commit crime, as the public would rightly expect, you will face the consequences of your actions regardless of your age.”