Help Please

[KatyP]

If a child commits an offence as a child but was never prosecuted can they be bought to justice as an adult? Thanks for your help x

[mccfluff]

i'm not sure but i think it would depend on the offence

[Red_John]

yes, if they were over 10 at the time

[New Judge]

But not if they were under 10 at the time of the alleged offence.

[albaqwerty]

Is it 10 in England but 8years of age in Scotland?

Preverse laws at times.

[New Judge]

The age of criminal responsibility in the UK is the lowest in Europe. In Scotland I believe it is still 8. There is a proposal to raise it to 12 but I cannot see that this has been enacted yet. In England and Wales it remains at 10. Examples of other European countries are France -13, Italy – 14, Denmark -15 and Spain – 16.

My own view is that ten is about right, but certainly ages higher than 12 are inappropriate. Children of that age do (or certainly should) know the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately the issue is blurred by campaigners bleating on that “prison is no place for children” which may well be true. However, very few young children are dealt with by the courts and an extremely small number are given custodial sentences. By raising the age of responsibility it effectively gives children carte blanche to do what they wish with no regard for the law at ages when they should begin to be responsible for their behaviour. The sanction to take action against young offenders must be available even if it is seldom used.

[sara3]

I would say it also depends on why they weren't prosecuted in the first place.