Crime

Too young to vote, old enough for the dock: Calls to raise age of criminal responsibility grow

Published

5 months ago

January 15, 2026

A TEN-YEAR-old is too young to leave the school gates without a parent’s permission, let alone cast a ballot. They can’t work a paper round, open a bank account or see a 12A film without an adult. They are, in almost every sense, dependent on the grown-ups around them.

Yet, the moment they cross a certain line – that protective bubble vanishes. Under current law, a child still in primary school is considered mature enough to stand in a dock, be questioned under caution and carry a criminal record that could follow them for decades.

This paradox was at the heart of a Senedd debate on Wednesday (January 14) as Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised from ten to 14.

He told the Welsh Parliament: “A child still in primary school can be arrested, questioned under caution, prosecuted, convicted, and marked, sometimes for years, by an encounter with the criminal courts. I believe we should raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14.

“That’s not to be soft on crime, as some would see it – it’s to be smart on crime, clear-eyed, with a hard-headed focus on what the evidence tells us.”

He warned: “The evidence is all in one direction: criminalising ten, 11, 12 and 13-year-olds is to create a conveyor belt of future crime, pulling children deeper into the system, widening the net, turning one incident into the beginning of a longer offending career.”

The former Plaid Cymru leader criticised the “crude” current threshold, saying: “The age of criminal responsibility is not just a number, it’s a line that determines whether we treat a child primarily as a child who needs help or an offender to be processed.

Mr Price pointed out that the doctrine of “doli incapax” – which presumed children aged ten to 13 were incapable of criminal intent unless proven otherwise – was abolished in 1998.

Warning of an incoherent and unfair system, he said: “Nothing better replaced it. So, now we have the worst of both worlds – a very low threshold with none of the old protections.”

He added: “As long as the legal age for criminal responsibility stays at ten, that… creates a constant pull towards court when what a child actually needs is something else: protection, support, supervision, help with mental health and, where necessary, secure care.”

Mr Price stressed early intervention does not require early criminalisation. “This is not an argument for doing nothing,” he said. “It’s an argument for doing the right thing.”

A 2023 inquiry by the Senedd’s equality committee highlighted a hidden crisis: at least 60% of young people in the justice system have a speech, language or communication need.

“Think about what that means,” said Mr Price. “It affects whether a child understands the police caution, whether they can tell their story clearly, whether they can follow what’s happening in court, take instructions, understand consequences or engage with anything designed to change their behavior.”

The MP-turned-Senedd Member added: “Sometimes, the most serious harm by children is tangled up with exploitation. Children can be groomed into offending, coerced, threatened, controlled by older criminals. When that happens, a purely punitive response misses the point. It treats the exploited child as the problem rather than as a child in danger.”

Rhian Croke, a human rights expert at the Children’s Legal Centre Wales, has warned of a “glaring contradiction” within the Wales and England legal system.

She wrote: “This legal mismatch is not just technical – it reflects a deeper inconsistency…. On the one hand, we delay rights like voting, full medical consent or signing contracts until 16 or 18. On the other, we impose adult-like punishments on children still in primary school.”

Dr Croke pointed out that the age of criminal responsibility in Wales is the lowest in Europe. This means children can be interviewed, detained, subject to strip searches, prosecuted, sentenced and given a criminal record that follows them into adulthood.

Warning Wales and England is an international outlier, she said: “Further afield, it may be interesting to learn the minimum age of criminal responsibility is higher in China and Russia.”

Dr Croke cautioned that criminalising children as young as ten can cause significant and lasting harm as well as make reoffending more likely – not less.

Jane Hutt, cabinet secretary for social justice, Trefnydd, and chief whip

Jane Hutt, Wales’ social justice secretary, stressed that while the Senedd can debate the issue – the power to change the law remains locked in Westminster.

Reiterating calls for powers over youth justice, she committed to raising the issue during a forthcoming meeting with Jake Richards, the UK youth justice minister.

Ms Hutt told the Welsh Parliament: “I’m very conscious of the extensive evidence in favour of raising the age of criminal responsibility.”

In 2019, John Thomas – the ex-head of the judiciary – led a commission on justice in Wales, which recommended raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 12.

Scotland raised the age to 12 in 2021. The United Nations has urged the UK Government to raise the age to 14 in Wales and England but Westminster has resisted the calls.

Crime

MPs to question Wales’ police commissioners over future of policing

Published

30 minutes ago

June 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

WALES’ four Police and Crime Commissioners are to be questioned by MPs over the future of policing and proposed UK Government reforms.

The Welsh Affairs Committee will hold a session on 8 July to examine what planned changes in the Police Reform Bill could mean for Wales.

A White Paper published in January set out plans to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners, the elected officials responsible for overseeing police budgets and setting the overall strategy for individual forces in England and Wales.

In England, those responsibilities are expected to pass to elected regional mayors or council leaders. However, it remains unclear who would take on those functions in Wales.

The White Paper also raised the prospect of merging some of the 43 territorial police forces across England and Wales, but there is no firm detail yet on whether Wales’ four forces could be affected.

The session will allow MPs to question the PCCs from Dyfed-Powys Police, South Wales Police, North Wales Police and Gwent Police about the likely impact of the proposed reforms.

Committee members are also expected to discuss wider policing issues affecting Wales, including violence against women and girls, the use of facial recognition technology, and whether policing should be devolved to the Welsh Government.

Ruth Jones MP, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, said the session would be an important opportunity to examine what the reforms could mean for Welsh communities.

She said: “If PCCs are to be abolished, it is essential that any new arrangements ensure police forces in Wales remain clearly accountable to the public and that communities continue to have a strong voice in shaping policing priorities.

“We also want to explore views on the optimal number of forces for Wales and the importance of striking a balance between efficiency and preserving a strong understanding of local needs.”

Call for evidence

Ahead of the session, the committee is inviting written evidence from academic and policy experts.

It is asking how Welsh police forces should be held to account if PCCs are abolished, what lessons should be learned from the current model, and what the optimal number of police forces for Wales should be.

The committee also wants views on how other parts of the UK Government’s policing reforms could affect Wales, and the arguments for and against devolving policing to the Welsh Government.

The Welsh Affairs Committee is a House of Commons select committee. It scrutinises the work of the Wales Office and UK Government policies that affect Wales.

Crime

Paul Griffiths given suspended prison sentence for assaults

Published

2 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

A PEMBROKE Dock man has been given a suspended prison sentence after admitting assaulting his former partner and his young son.

Paul Griffiths, aged 40, of Stranraer Road, Pennar, appeared for sentence this week after pleading guilty to offences arising from two separate incidents.

The court heard that, on April 16, 2022, Griffiths assaulted his former partner during an argument concerning their child.

During the dispute, he either pushed or threw a chair, which struck her leg and caused bruising.

A second incident took place on March 13, 2026, during an argument between Griffiths and his son.

The court heard that another adult intervened and told the pair to stop arguing. After the child may have thrown a teddy bear at him, Griffiths grabbed his son by the neck with both hands.

The adult stepped in and pushed Griffiths away from the child. The boy was left with reddening to his neck.

‘Utterly ashamed’

Sentencing Griffiths, the judge described the offences as “appalling”.

“You should be utterly ashamed of yourself,” the judge told him. “You assaulted your partner and your own son. You’ve lost your good character.”

For the assault on his former partner, which was classified as actual bodily harm, the judge found the offence to be of medium culpability and imposed a sentence of 24 weeks’ imprisonment.

A further eight weeks’ imprisonment was imposed for the assault on his son.

Griffiths was sentenced to a total of 30 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

He was also made subject to a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Crime

Man wanted in connection with rape investigation has Pembrokeshire links

Published

20 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Police in Milford Haven and Neyland assisting Warwickshire officers in appeal to trace 23-year-old

MILFORD HAVEN and Neyland police have issued an appeal to help locate a man wanted in connection with a rape investigation.

Officers are assisting colleagues from Warwickshire Police, who are seeking information on the whereabouts of 23-year-old Rhys Trott in connection with a rape allegation in Nuneaton.

Police say Trott is believed to have links to the Milford Haven area of Pembrokeshire.

In a public appeal, Warwickshire Police said they are keen to trace Trott as part of ongoing enquiries.

Anyone who has seen him or has information about his whereabouts is urged to contact Warwickshire Police through their website or by quoting the relevant incident details.

Milford Haven and Neyland Police shared the appeal on social media on Tuesday (June 3), asking local residents to come forward with any information that may assist officers.

Photo caption:

Rhys Trott, 23, is wanted by Warwickshire Police in connection with a rape investigation and is believed to have links to Milford Haven (Pic: Warwickshire Police).