NI: Five 12-year-olds convicted of criminal offences since 2014
Reading time: 1 minute
Koulla Yiasouma
Figures showing that five 12-year-olds were convicted of criminal offences in Northern Ireland in the past five years have sparked new calls for an increase in the age of criminal responsibility.
A total of 1,085 children under 18 committed one or more crimes between 1 January 2014 and 5 July 2018.
Convictions were at their highest (279) in 2015 and lowest (207) in 2017.
The youngest person convicted during that period, who was aged 12, was found guilty of criminal damage.
Responding to the figures, Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, has reiterated her call for the age of criminal responsibility to be increased to 14.
The age of criminal responsibility is 12 in the Republic of Ireland, 10 in England and Wales, and 8 in Scotland.
Ms Yiasouma told BBC News: “The evidence continues to indicate that it is our most vulnerable young people who are involved in crime, with early community-based intervention often being the best way to ensure they do not offend or reoffend, and thereby keep our communities safe.
“I am deeply concerned that children as young as 12 are included, and is why I am calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be immediately raised to 14, to enable services to more effectively intervene.”
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss articles like this one:
SUBSCRIBE
