Two teenagers sentenced for attacking police during summer disorder in Bolton

Two teenagers have been sentenced for their involvement in disorder in Bolton in which officers were spat on and had items thrown at them.

Officers policing the violent disorder on Sunday 4 August were met with hostile crowds as they worked to prevent the unrest and protect the local communities.

In one incident, a group of around 15-20 youths surrounded a police sergeant carrying out liaison duties, with one 14-year-old male spitting directly in his face before running away.

Following extensive CCTV work, the teenager, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was identified and brought before the courts where he subsequently pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker.

He was referred to a youth offender panel for a total of 9 Months, with a parent / guardian required to attend the meeting. A local authority representative may also attend the meetings. In addition, the teen must may compensation of £100.

In the same incident, a 15-year-old male stole an officer’s operational hat and was seen running away from the scene. However, he was later spotted throwing a bottle at another group of officers.

The teen was ordered to pay costs of £85 in addition to a surcharge of £26. He must additionally follow a curfew between 9.30pm and 5am daily, and must present himself to an officers who asks to see them between those times, for a period of three months.

They have additionally been referred to a youth offender panel for a period of 12 months and must pay compensation of £500.

Both were dealt with at Manchester and Salford Magistrates court, on Monday and Tuesday this week respectively. 

Detective Inspector Paul Costello said: “The violence we saw against officers during the unrest over the summer was utterly deplorable. These men and women left their families each day to protect the communities which they serve day-in, day-out, and to see them spat on, attacked, and assaulted during their tour of duties was sickening.

“These two teenagers were part of a wider group which degraded and attacked an officer carrying out his job. These sort of incidents are disgusting to see and we continue to investigate all instances of violence from the summer disorder in Bolton and indeed across Greater Manchester. This has seen us secure more than one hundred arrests and charges, with lots of work still to come.

“As we continue with our work, I would urge anyone with any information about any of the incident across Greater Manchester to please get in touch.”

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “1,861 officers in GMP were assaulted last year. That’s an average of more than 35 every week. More than 5 every single day.

“Police officers are not robots. We are mothers and fathers. Sons and daughters. Husbands, wives and partners. We should not come under attack for doing our difficult job. 

“We are not society’s punchbags - and those assaulting police officers should face severe consequences every day of the year.”

You can submit information to our online portals here:

• Outside Rochdale police station on Thursday 25 July - https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP24S78-PO1
• On Oldham Road in Newton Heath on Wednesday 31 July - https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP24S74-PO1
• In Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre on Saturday 3 August - https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP24S75-PO1
• On Mosley Street in Manchester on Saturday 3 August - https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP24S77-PO1
• In Bolton town centre on Sunday August 4 - https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP24S76-PO1