Darlington teen convicted after throwing rocks at police during disorder
18 year old Cole Stewart, of Victoria Road, pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder
A teenager from Darlington, who was caught on camera celebrating after throwing rocks at a police van, will be sentenced later this week.
18 year old Cole Stewart, of Victoria Road, pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates court.
It is after he was caught throwing multiple items at police officers who had been deployed to deal with violence in Darlington on Monday 5th August.
A CCTV camera captured him repeatedly throwing bricks and other objects at the officers near North Lodge Park, with one of them hitting an officer.
The 18-year-old was arrested at the scene, charged with violent disorder, and remanded in custody.
Stewart was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing at Teesside Crown Court on Friday..
Brandon Welch, of Warkworth Way, Darlington, was also charged with violent disorder after he allegedly used racist language and encouraged people to smash up property.
The 18-year-old did not enter a plea when he appeared before magistrates’ today. He was also remanded in custody and will appear at Teesside Crown Court on Wednesday, August 28.
Assistant Chief Constable Richie Allen, of Durham Constabulary, said: “Cole Stewart attended the area on Monday night with the sole intention of causing serious harm to our community and their property.
“He engaged in vile and destructive behaviour and attacked the police officers who were deployed to protect members of the public.
“As we have previously said, we will not tolerate criminality and violent disorder in our communities.
“I reiterate to anybody who commits these types of acts, we will tirelessly look for you and deal with you robustly. This will always be Durham Constabulary’s approach when dealing with incidents such as this.
“Our investigation remains ongoing, and we will strive for justice on behalf of our communities - they do not deserve to be intimidated by this behaviour.”