A 15-year-old boy who stole a policeman’s hat and threw a glass bottle at officers during a riot in Bolton town centre has been brought before the courts.

The boy, whose identity is subject to reporting restrictions due to his age, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and theft for his role in widespread disorder in Bolton town centre on August 4 this year.

The demonstrations came about as part of nationwide demonstrations which saw far-right clashes after the killing of three girls in a mass stabbing in Southport.

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

Prosecutor J. Deacon showed Manchester Magistrates Court video footage of the boy, dressed in all black and wearing a balaclava, stealing a policeman’s hat before running off with it, near to the entrance of the Octagon car park entrance on Great Moor Street.

The court was then shown footage of the boy throwing a glass bottle towards police at the same location.

The policeman was the same officer who was spat on and hit by a 14-year-old boy on the same day.

In a victim personal statement read out to the court, the man said he had been a police officer for more than 20 years, and had worked an additional 40 hours on the week of the disorder.

He added: “I became a police officer to keep people safe, to come to work and be subject to this is absolutely disgusting and the most cowardly of acts imaginable.

“This is evidenced by the fact that he ran away soon after he behaved in the way he did rather than face the consequences.”

Follow The Bolton News on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok.

Boy agrees to apologise to police officer face-to-face

Defending, solicitor Samantha Smith said the boy, described as coming from a stable home, had pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity and had written that it has been the ‘worst time of his life’ in a questionnaire.

She added: “Mum and dad do not condone this behaviour – in fact, mum is absolutely furious, he’s grounded until next year, she’s had CCTV fitted in the house.

“If he even takes rubbish out, she’s ringing him asking where he is.”

A representative from Bolton’s youth offending team said the boy had agreed to do direct restorative justice with the police officer to apologise face to face.

The representative said: “A lot of young men aged 15 do not want to do that, but [this boy]’s willing to do that.”

Ms Smith added that the boy’s mum was trying to find out who had the hat to get it returned, but that nobody had owned up so far.

Judge  Joanne Hirst added: “Well, it’s like a trophy, isn’t it?”

Speaking directly with his mother, Judge Hirst heard that the boy had been regularly crying in the last five weeks, which the mother described as ‘absolute turmoil’ for him.

‘Children were slaughtered in Southport’

Asked why he’d done it, the boy said he did not know why and that he didn’t ‘really have clue’ what the disorder was about.

The boy added that he had not subsequently looked in to what had sparked the disorder.

 Judge Hirst responded: “They started because children were slaughtered in Southport and there was a racist uprising thereafter.

“I’m very disappointed you have not taken the time since then to find out what you were actually caught up in, I accept that you’ve got caught up with something you didn’t understand.”

However, Judge Hirst said the boy had ‘unusually’ received positive references showing a ‘positive work ethic’.

She added: “You’re dependable, when you’re not caught up in this feral behaviour.

“Do you know what feral means? It means when people act jointly as a pack, like wild animals.”

The boy, who said he had been given the face covering by someone else at the disorder, then said he was ‘sorry’ for his actions.

Judge Hirst said: “You did know right from wrong, it was shameful violence that dominated our community throughout late July and early August.

“There was a risk of escalation of violence when you took that hat off that police officer. There was no way to know others wouldn’t have attacked him.

“Police are public servants, they’re entitled to respect when they go out to keep us safe.”

Boy receives ‘intensive’ sentence

The boy was handed down an ‘intensive’ referral order – with a requirement to be subjected to a curfew from 9.30pm to 5am each day for three months.

Judge Hirst added: “My main priority is welfare and prevention of further offending, and I think you have enough positive influence in your life to make this a one-off, so today you are not going for a period of detention.

“But if I see you again you will, because today is an alternative to two to three years in detention.”

The boy’s mother was also ordered to pay £500 compensation to the police officer, £85 costs to the prosecution, and a government surcharge of £26, for a total of £611.

What is a referral order?

A referral order is a type of sentence available for young offenders between the ages of 10 and 17 who plead guilty to an offence.

The young person will be required to attend a youth offender panel, which will agree a contract of interventions with the young person – including activities and rehabilitative and restorative sessions.

After the completion of the order, the conviction is considered ‘spent’.

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.