UK riots latest: Boy, 15, first to be charged with more serious riot offence that has up to 10-year jail term

More than 1,100 people now arrested over far-right violence, with almost 650 charged, say police chiefs

A 15-year-old boy has become the first person to be charged with riot following recent disorder in several cities.

Prosecutors said the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, would appear at South Tyneside Youth Court.

Rioting carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison – double that of violent disorder.

He joins a 20-year-old involved in the Southport riot, as well as one of the thugs who attacked a Black man in Manchester, who are also facing jail.

Tom Neblett, 20, from Southport, was jailed for 30 months on Thursday after scaling a van and throwing bricks and other projectiles at police.

Meanwhile, Joseph Ley from Stockport, was among a large group of white males who attacked a Black man in Manchester city centre on 3 August.

The 30-year-old is being sentenced for violent disorder at Manchester Crown Court, along with two other rioters.

On Thursday, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said 1,127 people had been arrested so far, with 648 charged, following the days of violence across England and Northern Ireland.

20-year-old who climbed onto van and threw brick at police jailed for 30 months

A 20-year-old who climbed on to a van and repeatedly launched projectiles at police officers in Southport has been locked up for 30 months.

Tom Neblett, aged 20, attended a vigil for the previous day’s stabbing at a dance class in which three girls were killed, but he later joined a 1,000-strong group who “without any evidence or justification” attacked a nearby mosque and then police officers who gathered in response, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Neblett threw a brick at the passenger side window of a police carrier while the driver was still inside before colleagues in riot gear removed him as he shielded his head with his hands.

He was also seen on CCTV footage at the “very forefront” of the missile throwing as he picked up a smoke flare and hurled it towards the line of officers. He later scaled a white van and repeatedly threw more bricks and pieces of paving slabs at the police carrier and officers, the court heard.

Judge Dennis Watson KC told Neblett that a pre-sentence report had shown “a different side to you, the yob who was throwing missiles repeatedly” but he added: “The effect of your actions will have been to encourage others to have been involved and do likewise. Those actions cannot be viewed in isolation and should not be underestimated.”

The Independent