§ 32. Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on physical violence and abuse by pre-teenage juveniles. [24645]
§ Mr. MichaelIn 1996 the number of children between 10 and 13 years old who were cautioned or found guilty of offences of violence against the person and sexual offences were 1,004 and 104 respectively. In 1996, 71 children between 10 and 13 were convicted of crimes of violence against the person and six children were found guilty of sexual offences. Children under ten are below the age of criminal responsibility so actions which would be an offence in the case of an adult do not appear in the criminal statistics.