11-year-old answers to theft during London riots

An 11-year-old boy has been given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order for stealing a waste bin valued at £50 pounds during the recent riots in London.



According to the police, the child is the youngest rioter in London to face prosecution.



The boy, who admitted burglary, was given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order, and told that his local authority would dictate where he lives for the next six months.



Officials said he committed the offence just five days after being given a referral order for arson and criminal damage over an unrelated incident.



In the meantime, a children’s charity group Barnardo has called for the Government to invest in more effective measures like family intervention projects, to stop youth crime.



Chief executive of the group, Anne Marie Carrie, said the evidence shows that after a year, half of boys and girls who are sentenced in court will have re-offended and their experience within the criminal justice system increases the likelihood that they will commit further crimes.