Belfast teen on riot charge 'encouraged by mother'

It was claimed the teenager first attacked police lines when disorder first broke out at Broadway roundabout in south Belfast on 15 July

A schoolboy accused of rioting in Belfast was allegedly encouraged and filmed by his mother, the High Court has heard.

Prosecutors claimed the woman tried to hide her 15-year-old son’s identity as he took part in disorder on the city’s streets.

Details emerged as the youth, who cannot be named because of his age, was granted bail on charges of taking part in four separate nights of unrest.

He is accused of petrol bomb attacks on police in July and then targeting a cafe owned by people from a Muslim background when violence flared after an anti-immigration protest earlier this month.

Crown counsel disclosed that the boy’s mother is also being prosecuted on suspicion of participating and prompting him.

“She was seen on camera assisting and encouraging him by both filming him and facilitating his attempts to hide his identity by pulling up his hood,” the barrister said.

The teenager faces a total of 12 charges, including four counts of riot, possessing and throwing a petrol bomb, causing an explosion with a firework, and having offensive weapons and paint with intent to cause damage to property.

It was claimed he first attacked police lines when disorder first broke out at Broadway roundabout in south Belfast on 15 July.

Crown counsel submitted that the teenager threw “dozens” of pieces of masonry and a lit petrol bomb against a police vehicle.

Officers identified him after he removed a distinctive red, white and blue facemask at the scene, the court heard.

According to the prosecution, he pelted police vehicles at the same location again the following evening with significant amounts of masonry and paint.

“He was observed throwing a firework into a group of police officers who were on foot, then collecting two paint cans and throwing the contents of them over officers,” the Crown lawyer said.

The schoolboy was also identified as allegedly participating in racially-motivated street disturbances on 3 and 5 August.

The judge was told footage posted on social media showed him throwing items at windows and kicking the door of a cafe owned by migrants in the Sandy Row area.

He then approached the premises with a cylindrical object before the camera briefly pointed to a different incident.

“When it panned back to the applicant a short time later, his hand was empty and the cafe was ablaze with fireworks exploding in it,” the Crown lawyer said.

She claimed he remained involved in the ongoing disorder, and was later observed standing in a crowd with his hood down watching as a stolen car was set on fire.

Two days later he allegedly formed part of a crowd who attempted to push back Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers protecting the Islamic Centre on University Road in Belfast, again throwing bottles and masonry at the police lines.

During interviews, the youth denied involvement in any of the rioting and claimed he was only present at Broadway Roundabout in July to watch the events.

'Disgusted and upset'

Police and the prosecution mounted a High Court appeal after a magistrate initially granted bail to the teenage defendant.

Arguing that he should remain in custody amid continuing racial tensions, the Crown counsel added: “We think this young man has actively made himself a very central participant…he has offended quite prolifically throughout this summer.”

Counsel for the defendant stressed he is a child who has now learnt a “harsh lesson”.

“This is vile behaviour, but it does appear that he went consequence-free after the first (incidents) in July and perhaps thought this was something he could engage in,” she said.

“He has been crying and is extremely disgusted and upset with himself that he let it get this far.”

With the boy’s parents separated, the barrister said his father is now prepared to put him to work over the rest of the summer as part of a “hardline stance”.

As he granted bail to the youth, the judge acknowledged the reasons for challenging the release of someone accused of rioting.

But he cited both the apparent de-escalation in the unrest and pledges by family members to prevent the teenager being drawn into any further trouble.

The judge banned him from accessing the internet or entering Belfast except to attend school as part of strict conditions.

He added: “I take into account one of the factors which involved him in this appears to be his mother, and she is no longer present or at large.”