A 19-year-old boy cried in court after being sentenced for throwing a loaded sock at police during the Middlesbrough riots
CCTV caught him throwing things at officers near their van. He even threw a sock filled with heavy items at police on Granville Road. Bowes was seen taunting the officers.
That day, 320 police officers were pulled from their regular duties. The riots caused a lot of damage, with bins set on fire and windows smashed.
In court, Bowes appeared via video link from HMP Durham. He was emotional as his lawyer spoke about his parents being there. They wrote letters for the judge to read.
When arrested, Bowes had rocks in his possession. He initially denied everything but later pleaded guilty to violent disorder and having an offensive weapon.
His lawyer mentioned that Bowes spent over five months in remand. He never expected to end up in jail. His family missed him a lot, and his actions hurt their family business.
Bowes was supposed to start college and wanted to be a mental health nurse. But now, that dream might be on hold.
Judge Tom Mitchell told him he knew what he did was wrong. He pointed out that Bowes got caught up in the violence but still chose to throw things at the police.
The judge emphasized that the true people of Middlesbrough were out cleaning up the mess the next day. Bowes cried as he was sentenced to 21 months in a young offenders’ institution.
