Teen facing riot charges got carried away - mum

Violent disorder erupted in Liverpool city centre and Walton following a stabbing attack in Southport

A mother has said her teenage son who faces charges for rioting "deserves a second chance" and should not be "made an example of".

Anita said the teenager thought he was attending a protest about saving children from paedophiles when he went to a gathering in Liverpool last Saturday.

She said he "got carried away in the moment" amid a crowd, adding that she was "gobsmacked, hurt and angry" when she found out he had been arrested.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously pledged that all rioters would "face the full force of the law".

Merseyside Police says it has arrested 46 people over disorder so far

Three young girls, Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed by an attacker at a holiday club in Southport on 29 July.

Widespread unrest followed in towns and cities across the country after false information was shared online saying the suspect was an asylum seeker.

Violent disorder erupted in Southport, Liverpool city centre and Walton, causing injuries to officers and widespread damage.

Anita told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that the first she knew her son was in trouble was when police officers came to her home.

She described being "shocked, gobsmacked, hurt and angry", adding: "I didn't bring the kids up like that."

"He said, 'I only went down for save the children. I didn’t go down for violence'," she said.

"He didn’t know what it was about. He only realised when he got into town.

“He went and seen one protest first. Went up seen the other protest and then the police started bunching them all down into town and other kids were throwing things at the police van."

She said her son picked up a bit of soil which came from a plant pot and aimed it at a police van.

"He got carried away in the moment and then a racist person came over and started shouting at the kids a pile of words and he confronted the man."

She said he "threw soil at the racist and hit him".

'Not prepared'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has warned anyone engaging in "unacceptable disorder” would face imprisonment and travel bans, adding that "sufficient" prison places had been made available.

"Criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain's streets," she said.

Anita said her son was not prepared for what is ahead of him, when the courts deal with his case.

"He doesn’t understand the bigger picture and I think that is why he got caught up in the moment," she said.

"He's not a bad kid."

Merseyside Police have arrested 46 people over disorder in the region, with 17 of those charged, seven of whom have already been jailed.

The force said: "There will be more sentenced in the coming days, and the courts are acting swiftly to jail those who brought violence, destruction and hatred into our communities.

"To anyone intent on causing disorder here I have one clear message: We will find you, and we will put you before the courts."