11,000 Children aged ten and 11 Were Let Off Violent Crimes
-Including Conspiracy to Murder and Rape over the Past Seven Years
- The children were warned, reprimanded or cautioned by officers
- A total of 120 children were warned for sex offences - including rapes
- Seven children warned for conspiracy to murder and 11 for gun offences
Daily Mail UK, 14 July 2014
The Ministry of Justice says 9,099 boys and 2,224 girls were warned, reprimanded
or cautioned in the last seven years, but were not taken to court for serious crimes. Picture posed by model
More than 11,000 children aged just 10 and 11 have avoided prosecution for violent crimes.
The Ministry of Justice says 9,099 boys and 2,224 girls were warned, reprimanded or cautioned in the last seven years, but were not taken to court.
Last night, justice campaigners said it was staggering so many kids were being let off without facing prosecution.
Mother Theresa Cave, who campaigns against knife crime in schools, said: 'These children should not be allowed to walk away with a slap on the wrist.'
Some 120 children - barely over the age of criminal responsibility - have been warned for sex attacks, including nine rapes.
Another 1,160 boys and 137 girls have escaped prosecution for malicious wounding, 219 for arson and 51 for drugs offences.
Seven boys and girls were warned for conspiracy to murder, 11 boys for gun offences and three more for possession of obscene material.
Meanwhile, 30 youngsters have been warned for fraud and five for forgery.
They are all indictable offences which would carry lengthy prison sentences if committed by adults.
Mrs Cave, who has campaigned for victims of violent crime since her 17-year-old son Chris was stabbed to death in Cleveland in 2003, said young children were often led into serious crime by peer pressure.
She said: 'I have always said education is a must to nip crime in the bud while children are young enough to understand, but old enough to face the consequences if caught.'
The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years old, meaning anyone over this age can be arrested or charged.
The number of 10 and 11-year-olds given police cautions has fallen dramatically from more than 4,000 in 2008 to nearly 600 last year.
The UK Government introduced new police rules for youth cautions in April 2013 to replace reprimands and warnings.
Three boys were warned for possession of obscene material. File picture
The new guidance stated cautions should not be given for serious or repeat offences unless there are exceptional circumstances.
A senior police officer and, in some cases, the Crown Prosecution Service now have to agree before officers hand out cautions.
A spokesman for pressure group Justice said: 'For those young people that are committing crimes, its right that the most serious or persistent are sentenced to custody and those that commit violent offences face tough sentences.'
Chief Constable Lynne Owens, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said it was legitimate for officers to use their discretion when giving children cautions.
Superintendent Laurence Taylor said youngsters who commit crime are often vulnerable and police give careful consideration to whether to give youth cautions.
He said: 'I am confident both the police and the CPS will have considered both the public interest, victim and offender before coming to a decision.'
A charity boss has said kids as young as 10 are committing sex attacks because of easy access to pornography.
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said hardcore videos on the internet were warping the minds of British children.
He spoke out this month after a 10-year-old boy was revealed as one of the country's youngest sex offenders.
The youth, from Powys, Wales, was quizzed by detectives over sexual activity with a five-year-old.
The boy was cautioned.
Mr Wanless said: 'It's deeply concerning that thousands of children are reported as committing sexual offences including serious assaults and rape.
'Easy access to hardcore, degrading and often violent videos on the internet is warping young peoples views of what is normal or acceptable behaviour.
'The NSPCC suggests parents can help keep younger children safe by teaching them the underwear rule which states that the area covered by their underwear should never be touched by anyone else.'
11,000 Kids 10/11yrs Let Off Murder & Rape
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