12 year old handed referral order after throwing missiles at officers during Harehills rioting
A judge told the boy: "It is shocking that an 11-year-old should get involved in such behaviour"
An 11-year-old boy helped roll over a police car, threw missiles at officers and attacked a burning bus during rioting in Leeds - before boasting about what he had done on TikTok, a court has heard.
A district judge told the boy, who is now 12: "It is shocking that an 11-year-old should get involved in such behaviour", according to sentencing remarks released by the judiciary.
The youngster, who cannot be named, appeared before Leeds Youth Court on Tuesday after he admitted his part in the rioting in the Harehills area of Leeds on July 18 last year.
The area erupted into violence after police and social workers arrived at a house to remove children into care, the court heard.
Police officers and vehicles were attacked, a bus was set on fire and a number of vehicles were damaged.
District Judge Tim Capstick told the boy: "The footage shows you as part of the crowd at the beginning of events, forcing officers to retreat along Luxor Street onto Harehills Lane as you and others threw missiles at them.
"As the police drove off you attacked their vehicles, throwing stones, kicking a football at one vehicle and punching out at another as it drove past.
"You then helped damage an abandoned police vehicle, throwing a child's scooter at it and helping others flip it onto its side."
Judge Capstick continued: "Later, when the First Bus had been set alight you punched out at one of its windows and then threw a brick at the bus.
"Finally, whilst stood by the burning bus, you were filmed openly boasting about what you and others had done - again I repeat in and to your own community - and this footage was then posted on TikTok.
"I pause to observe that it is shocking that an 11-year-old should get involved in such behaviour."
Judge Capstick sentenced the boy to a 10-month referral order. He admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing.
He told the boy that "however upset you may have been" about the police and social workers' actions, "it did not justify your subsequent behaviour".
He said: "The author of the (pre-sentence) report makes the point that you saw older children and adults engaging in the public disorder and so you joined in and copied them."
Judge Capstick sentenced two other children on Tuesday for their parts in Harehills rioting.
A 15-year-old boy was given a referral order for six month after admitting violent disorder.
The district judge told him: "You were part of the group that stopped the bus from driving away from the trouble that was occurring.
"You actually gave the bus driver two fingers and then, along with others, attempted to rock the bus from side to side whilst it was stationary, leading to the driver abandoning his vehicle."
He said the teenager was also part of a group that stopped a van, piled up its contents in the road and set them on fire.
The boy was then filmed helping to lift a fridge and part of a sofa onto this blaze.
Judge Capstick said :"When police officers attempted to tackle the fire you were seen to be throwing missiles at the officers and you continued to do so as they retreated to their police vehicles.
"You then returned to the bus that had been damaged by this stage and you kicked out at the windscreen, causing further damage, and the engine compartment."
And a 14-year-old boy, who was 13 at the time, was given a 10-month referral order after also admitting violent disorder.
The district judge said this boy kicked a football and threw missiles at moving police vehicles and "helped attack an abandoned police vehicle by aiming kicks at it, throwing missiles at it and at one point using part of a pram to hit it".
Judge Capstick said: "It is shocking that a 13-year-old should behave in this way, without any apparent reason for doing so."