A British mother who failed to turn up for her 12-year-old son’s sentencing in court has been fined. The mother, who cannot be named under court order, went to Ibiza for vacation as her son faced criminal charges for participating in riots that consumed the UK after three girls were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift dance class in northwest England in August.
The 12-year-old was allegedly part of a group that looted one store during the riots and broke the windows of another. He was due to be sentenced at the end of August, but District Judge Joanne Hirst postponed the hearing after receiving the “astonishing” news that the boy’s mother had gone to the Spanish island on holiday. The Judge said, “She is on notice, I will be challenging her about this decision.”
When the mom returned to the UK, she told Judge Hirst that she had already booked the vacation and could not afford to cancel and lose her money. Hirst asked her if she prioritized her son, and she replied, “Not really, no.”
The 12-year-old’s defense attorney, Catherine Baird, told the court that her client did not fully understand the impact of his actions and had gotten swept up in “the moment” and acted recklessly. The boy, who has an ADHD diagnosis, added that he thought the episode was “funny.” He went on to apologize for his actions.
Judge Hirst handed the 12-year-old a referral order, meaning he must meet with a group of youth offending experts who will work with him for a year to try to steer him away from committing further crimes. His mother was ordered to take a six-month parenting course and fined around $1,400. The District Judge reminded her that this was approximately the same amount she paid for her five-day vacation to Ibiza.
Almost 500 people have been charged, and several people jailed, for the disorder that followed the murder of the three girls in Southport. Many protestors said they were tired of what they see as Britain’s two-tier justice system that prosecutes native Britons for minor infractions while allowing crimes committed by migrants or minority groups to go unpunished.
