A young boy from Oldham has been sentenced after taking part in ‘violent disorder’ in Manchester city centre last month.
The 12-year-old – who cannot be named for legal reasons – appeared at Manchester Youth Court yesterday (11 September) where the court heard that he had been involved in two instances of disorder in Manchester city centre – one on 31 July outside a hotel that was believed to be housing asylum seekers, and the second on 3 August around Piccadilly Gardens.
On 31 July at around 6pm, the boy was captured on CCTV as part of a group who were said to have become “aggressive”, and were seen throwing rocks and other missiles at police officers who were trying to protect the staff and residents of the hotel.
A 12-year-old boy from Oldham has been sentenced after taking part in ‘violent disorder’ in Manchester / Credit: GMP
Later, the group – who were in the middle of the road – stopped a bus full of passengers, and the boy was seen on CCTV kicking out at the bus from his bike.
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Following this first incident, the same boy was seen again as part of a disorderly group at Piccadilly Gardens on 3 August, where, at around 3:20pm, the group were moving around the area attacking shop fronts and the boy was filmed with a group of others kicking the front window of a vape shop.
Later, wearing a balaclava to hide his identity, he formed part of a group who appeared to storm a Sainsbury’s Local supermarket.
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The boy knocked over shelves within the store, and during the fracas, he was also seen to throw a missile at a police van.
According to the CPS, the boy “made no comment” in his police interview, but he did plead guilty to two counts of violent disorder at the first court hearing on 12 August 2024, before was was sentenced to a 12-month intensive referral order at Manchester Youth Court yesterday (11 September) and ordered to pay £300 in compensation.
Following the sentencing, John Moran, who is the Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “It is deeply concerning to see young people engaging in the disorder that has plagued our streets, and the fact this boy took steps to shield his identity shows he knew what he was doing was wrong.
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“The fact the behaviour was repeated increases the seriousness of the acts.
“We will continue to work side by side with the police and our partners across the criminal justice system to ensure justice is delivered robustly and swiftly.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Hundreds of staff to strike at four Greater Manchester hospitals next week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week.
More than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – are walking out for three days next week after union UNISON says an offer to ‘resolve’ a dispute was withdrawn before discussions could take place.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 24, Wednesday 26, and Friday 28 August.
In particular, staff from all four sites will also gather in Salford on Wednesday (26 August) for a ‘unified’ day of protest.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
“Those at the top of NCA have shown a lack of leadership and made their disregard for their staff clear,” explained UNISON North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan.
“A deal was put on the table but taken away before we had chance to talk it over. We are ready to continue negotiations, but it’s obvious NCA has no intention of resolving this.
“This isn’t complicated. Staff are simply asking for what their contract says they’re entitled to. Nothing more.”
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Wetherspoons introduces new phone rule at all UK pubs after customers are ‘driven nuts’
Emily Sergeant
JD Wetherspoon has announced a major new phone rule in all its sites across the UK after customers complain of being ‘driven nuts’.
The pub chain – which has nearly 800 branches across the UK – announced earlier this week that it has made the decision to ban people from playing music or videos out of their phones, and from taking calls on loudspeaker.
The ban, which has been introduced effective immediately, follows a rising number of complaints from customers about the noise – with owners saying sounds from smartphones and tablet computers had become an ‘increasing problem’ in recent years.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, says he wants Wetherspoon pubs to be ‘an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation’.
Wetherspoons has introduced a new phone rule at all its UK pubs after customers are ‘driven nuts’ / Credit: Allan Rohmer (via Unsplash)
A formal statement from the company announcing the ban reads: “Following complaints from customers, who are being driven nuts by other people’s videos and amplified phone conversations, Wetherspoon has asked customers to switch their phones to silent or to use earphones.”
Tim Martin added: “In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down.”
Wetherspoon’s ban follows a YouGov poll conducted last year questioning public opinion on a proposition made by the Liberal Democrats of introducing fines of up to £1,000 for ‘headphone dodgers’ who play music out loud on buses and trains.
62% of people, on average, said they would back this move if it was introduced.
The poll, which surveyed 6,815 British adults, found that almost three-quarters of those over 65 would support the fines, while those aged between 18 and 24 were split 47% to 43% in favour of it.
Early public reactions to Wetherspoon’s ban appears to be overwhelmingly positive.
Emily Sergeant -
12th September 2024 
