Boy, 17, 'ashamed' for part in Hull riot

A 17-year-old boy has apologised for his actions during this summer's rioting in Hull.

The teenager, who cannot be named, was caught on CCTV damaging a BMW car, which had three Romanian men inside, after trouble flared in the city centre on 3 August.

He was also filmed pushing a wheelie bin towards police on Jameson Street and later throwing missiles.

The boy was handed a 12-month referral order at Medway Magistrates' Court, sitting as a youth court, on Thursday.

The court heard that unrest across the country had been fuelled by misinformation on social media that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an illegal migrant.

It heard that the boy initially had no idea what the disorder in Hull was about, but had become caught up in it.

The boy accepted his behaviour was unacceptable and had written to the judge to express his remorse and shame, the court was told.

Passing sentence, District Judge Nelson told the teenager he accepted that he understood "the horror of those events" and the impact it had on the three men in the car and police officers.

"You were influenced by a significant degree of adult peer pressure," the judge added.

The court also heard the defendant, who had not been in trouble before, was easily influenced.

The boy previously admitted violent disorder and racially aggravated criminal damage for his part in the unrest.

In addition to his sentence, he was ordered to pay costs of £85 with a victim surcharge of £26.

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