'I made a mistake but I'm only 13 - I don't deserve a criminal record'

A 13-year-old girl has spoken out about the life-altering consequences of her actions after being swept up in a riot. The girl, who cannot be legally identified, was one of those who took part in an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers on July 31, following the Southport killings.

She was spotted after police released an appeal containing her image alongside adults involved. Fearing for their daughter's safety, her parents urgently contacted the police and escorted her to the station, assuming the ordeal would result in a mere "slap on the wrist".

"We rang up and told the police our daughter was involved, and they said we need you to come in for a voluntary interview,", reports the Express.

"The police were trying to settle it there and then at the station, but all of a sudden they said they would get back to us."

In a development that a child legal charity has labelled as "extremely concerning", the family was summoned to court the following morning without any chance to prepare. Thrown into a courtroom with just a duty solicitor for guidance, the frightened family chose to plead guilty.

The minor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted to the charge of violent disorder and received a 12-month referral order at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on September 30, with an additional three months added on account of the offence's racially aggravated nature.

'I don't deserve a criminal record'

It was revealed in court that the girl had been escorted to the protest outside the Potters International Hotel, which accommodates asylum seekers, by a parent of one of her friends.

Police body-worn video showed the teenager briefly banging and kicking at a door of the hotel while voices could be heard telling her to stop. The district judge, upon sentencing her, described the act as a "serious and very nasty offence".

The girl told the Express she admitted to making a mistake, but didn't deserve the punishment.

"I made a mistake, but I don't deserve a criminal record. I am sorry and regret kicking the door. It was quite frightening at the time and there were men shouting outside and shouting inside the hotel.

"I was scared going to see the police and to court, I cried, it was horrible seeing my parents go through it with me. I'm worried about my future now and what jobs I might be able to get."

She added: "The judge said it was racist but I'm not a racist, I don't know anything about that stuff, I have friends who are not the same race as me.

"My best friend is of mixed heritage, my friends who I visit are Albanian immigrants, they teach me cooking, and nail art. I use the nail designs to decorate my phone case."

The family, residing in a new-build house in a quaint town, are still reeling from the incident's impact. "The police were literally like this will be a slap on the wrist, the [duty] solicitor even said to us 'I'd be surprised if you even hear anything back or it will see the day in court', so we were relieved for our daughter at that stage," the girl's mother said.

Their calm was abruptly disrupted when, just days later, they received a call from the police while enjoying a swim. The mother recounted: "They rang me and told us to go home and then came round to our house at 5pm that evening and read out the charge of violent disorder.

"And then more or less, 'oh by the way, you're in court in the morning at 9am'. They gave us zero time to prepare (for court)."

The stepfather expressed his astonishment at the sudden shift in the police's approach upon their visit to the family's home, alleging that they indicated the decision for harsher charges came from higher up the chain of command.

The father said: "The CPS changed it I think, even the police when they came round and charged her, they said this (the decision) is way above our pay grade, it was like 'this is what we are being told', and that's it.

"They told us, 'it's strange times we're living in'."

The process became even stranger when social services got involved. The mother recounted how the report unexpectedly mentioned their voting history as 'both voted for Reform UK'.

She reflected: "I think it was a prejudice thing, 'oh, you voted Reform, you're a racist', I think they were surprised the home wasn't covered in Hitler posters.

"I just found that really odd, I don't know why it's relevant. My political views are not relevant to how I look after my children."

"They were definitely very surprised when they heard one of our daughter's favourite things to do is visit friends who are Albanian immigrants. They wanted to check she wasn't being radicalised."

'The sentence was so strong'

The mother was with her daughter—whose interests include art, pottery classes, swimming, and "Roblox"—when she broke down during her sentencing last month. She said: "The whole thing has been surreal reading about my daughter's case in the newspapers, if I had read that story I would have thought, 'bl**dy hell, what kind of parents does she have?'

"I don't condone what my daughter did, but the sentence is so strong, it was a six second clip played in court.

"I'm angry about it to be honest, it feels like such an injustice. Do I think she did something wrong? Of course I do, but punish it for what it was, a caution or similar.

"It feels like they just wanted the statistics, right, we've charged these people and charged these people, ok now sentence, sentence, result, result.

"They (the court) don't think of the consequences. We felt we had no choice but to plead guilty. I didn't have time to speak to a solicitor and sit and talk about what we could do, I only had a chance to speak to the duty solicitor. They've cherry picked the people who won't fight back'.

When asked if he is angry with how Sir Keir Starmer and the CPS dealt with his daughter the step-dad says "massively", adding: "I am massively angry at Starmer. I understand he's trying to deter people, but I think he has bullied the outcome of this.

"I personally think they have cherry picked the people that they know won't fight the system."

He added: "The judge asked her if she knew what the adults had been sentenced to and when she replied no, he seemed shocked she didn't watch the news.

"And I'm thinking, 'she's thirteen years old? What thirteen year old girls watch the news every night."

The child’s mum and stepfather expressed their dismay, noting that no counselling had been offered for their daughter, who instead was told to "write a letter of apology" to the immigrants at the hotel.

The stepfather added: "Our hope is eventually, sentences like those given to our daughter will be overturned, but it's an expensive process and I feel like they've targeted us because they feel we won't complain."

'Her behaviour was unacceptable'

After the sentencing, Hampshire Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo released a statement saying: "While we appreciate her age, the girl's behaviour was still completely unacceptable, and her actions caused fear of violence to those inside the hotel and our officers."

A statement from Hampshire Police stated the CPS was responsible for the "charging decision" and that their "officers informed the family of the charges".

The police further added: "During her voluntary interview and, in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the teenager was supported by an appropriate adult and had a solicitor present.

"As part of our enquiries, we issued pictures of eight people we wanted to speak with in connection with reports of disorder outside the hotel. We did not know the details – including the ages – of each of the people we were looking to speak to."

Once the identification of the girl was ascertained, police said her image was immediately removed from their appeals.

"We followed this up by directly contacting any outlets who were still circulating the image and ensured it was removed," they said.

"As the court heard, the teenager, who pleaded guilty, was part of a larger group that was involved in violent disorder during the protest.

"Everyone has the right to free speech and peaceful protest. However, officers will take action against those who choose to act outside of the law and use it as an excuse to demonstrate violence and disorder.

"If you commit crime, as the public would rightly expect, you will face the consequences of your actions, regardless of your age."

A spokesperson from the Crown Prosecution Service stated: "We prosecuted cases swiftly during the riots to restore law and order to our streets. Our lawyers look carefully at the circumstances of children who are referred to us to make sure it is in the public interest to bring charges."

However, Aika Stephenson, the Legal Director, Founder and Co-Lead of Just for Kids Law, said: "This case sounds extremely concerning, particularly given the young age of the child involved.

"It underlines how imperative it is for all children in contact with the criminal legal system to be able to access specialist legal advice and representation from those who have expertise in children's rights and youth justice."