Boy, 11, arrested on suspicion of arson after police car set ablaze in Hartlepool riot

1 August 2024, 21:42

An 11-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a police car was set ablaze during a night of unrest and violence in Hartlepool.

This comes after the arrest of 11 other people as riots broke out in Hartlepool in the wake of the Southport Stabbings.

Shocking footage emerged on Wednesday showing a police car ablaze as disorder spread across the country.

Assistant Chief Constable David Felton said: "This is very much a live investigation.

"We are continuing to work to identify those involved in the disorder yesterday evening and bring them to justice.

"Disorder of this kind will not be tolerated and those found to be involved will be robustly dealt with."

Read More: Two children discharged from hospital after Southport stabbing, five more in a stable condition

Read More: Teenage Southport murder suspect appears in court accused of killing three girls in dance class

Police confirmed the boy was the youngest person to be arrested after last night’s chaos.

More than 100 people were arrested on Wednesday night in the second night of rioting across the UK, with more police officers injured in the aftermath of the Southport stabbings that saw three girls killed.

Violent protests broke out outside Downing Street in central London, in Hartlepool in the north-east, and in Manchester, as well as a smaller demonstration in Aldershot in Hampshire on Wednesday night.

Some 110 people were arrested in London.

It comes after a riot in Southport on Tuesday night, following Monday's attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, which killed three and left eight more hurt. Five of those children are in a critical condition.

Social media disinformation spread claiming that the attack was carried out by a Muslim asylum seeker who crossed the Channel in a small boat.

The 17-year-old who has been charged with the murders and attempted murders was born in Cardiff to parents who came from Rwanda.

Today, he was named as Axel Rudakubana.

A legal restriction, preventing him from being named, has been lifted by the judge in this case.

Rudakubana is charged with murdering three little girls and harming 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport with a 'curved kitchen knife'.The 17-year-old, who turns 18 in just six days time, was born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff before moving to the village of Banks in Lancashire.

Rudakubana is also accused of the attempted murders of eight more children, along with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, and businessman John Hayes.

Up until now, the teenager's identity could not be revealed because suspects under 18 receive automatic anonymity in all UK court cases, except for in exceptional circumstances.

Rudakubana, who spent the entire 55 minutes of the hearing covering his whole face, with his grey sweatshirt pulled up to his hairline, and at times rocking back and forth and side to side, will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on October 25.

A provisional trial date, lasting six weeks, was scheduled for January 20, next year.

Judge Menary told the defendant, who did not acknowledge the judge and continued to keep his head down: "You are remanded to youth detention accommodation until these proceedings have been completed.

"That position might change when you achieve your majority in a short while."