The children are aged between 12 and 14 and it is the fifth time one of the older boys has escaped from custody this year.Appearing in the Youth Court yesterday the boys were seated in the dock opposite the prosecution evidence, which includes two broken table legs, a chair leg and two billiard balls, one of which was concealed inside a sock.They all admitted escaping from lawful custody on Sunday and the second 14-year-old admitted causing £400 worth of malicious damage to one of the windows in the building as well as committing a grave and criminal assault on a member of staff.Police legal adviser Laurence O’Donnell described it as a ‘disgraceful incident’.
He said that one of the boys had threatened a staff member at the building, where they were being held in youth custody by wielding one of the implements and saying: ‘Do you want some of this? I will wrap this round your head.’The boy denies ever having said that and his advocate, Sue Pearmain, said her client was not intending to use the implement to hit anyone, but wanted to make the staff member believe he might.The Assistant Magistrate, Ian Christmas said: ‘You are all in serious trouble now and, have no doubt, I think that this matter will be referred to the Royal Court.
In the meantime, because I am concerned that if you were granted bail you would commit further offences, you will be remanded to the secure unit.’He then made the unusual move of saying that the security level surrounding the boys was not to be lowered without the permission of the court.
The three boys are due to reappear before the court on 15 July.
