Youngest boy in court over Southport riots sentenced

A statement from the chairman of the mosque in Southport, which was targeted in the disorder, was read out in court.

Imam Ibrahim Hussein said inside the mosque, he, three worshippers and some men who said they had been sent by the Home Office to act as security for the mosque, had all armed themselves with metal poles in case they were attacked.

“I believed they would kill us,” he said.

He said he could see about 1,000 people outside and they had decided if rioters broke into the mosque they would all lock themselves in his office.

“I could see fire out of every window,” he said.

He thought at one point, “if we don’t get killed by the crowd we’re going to die from smoke inhalation”.

Despite all of this, he continued to lead prayers in the mosque, adding: “I went ahead with prayers as normal, and ignored the missiles.”

Defence lawyer Heather Toohey said the boy was not seen to be involved in any racist chanting and said he had handed himself in at a police station and “asked me to advance his deepest regret and sympathies to the people of Southport”.

“He knows he acted foolishly, he knows he acted out of stupidity,” she added.