Fewer than a quarter of rioters in court are under 18

11 August 2011 1 min read Neil Puffett Youth Justice Courts and sentencing

Children made up fewer than a quarter of those appearing before courts charged with offences connected to this week's rioting, CYP Now understands.

More than 500 people appeared in courts across England on Wednesday (10 August) to face charges including burglary and public order offences.

But despite the widespread perception that large numbers of those involved were children, a government source told CYP Now that less than one in four of those appearing in court were under the age of 18. This equates to around 100 children.

However that figure could still rise, with decisions still to be taken on whether to prosecute other minors who have yet to be charged.

In total more than 1,200 arrests have been made across the country, with potentially more to follow as police trawl through closed circuit television footage in an attempt to identify and track down those involved in the unrest.

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