Youth panel order for teen who 'terrorised' shops

A 15-year-old girl who was part of a gang that "terrorised" a high street, smashing doors and racially abusing shopkeepers, has been referred to a youth offender panel for a year.

Businesses in Shirley High Street, Southampton, suffered four months of attacks in 2025, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously described as "completely unacceptable".

The teenager, who was aged 14 at the time, was convicted at Southampton Youth Court of five counts of criminal damage, four charges of assault by beating, two of racially aggravated harassment, two thefts and defying an exclusion order.

She was ordered to pay £600 in compensation, the court said.

Businesswoman Nnenna Okonkwo, from Sunnyday International Foods, suffered weeks of harassment and had a window and a door smashed, the court heard.

Previously she told the BBC: "This has left me completely shattered and literally petrified."

A branch of Subway suffered damage to a door, a drinks vending machine and a cabinet on different days, the court was told.

The trouble started when a "gang" of about 15 children were asked to leave the store after they began "drinking and smoking inside", manager Nanni Shaik previously said.

The shop had to lock its doors between customers to stop the children coming in, he recalled.

The young people also followed him and his staff home, using "abusive words" and "filthy language", he added.

Muhammad Usman, who was also racially abused, said he had previously been forced to close his mobile phone shop after school.

However, he said the trouble had died down since the teenager was prosecuted.

He said: "She was the one who was leading that gang. She was too confident that the police were not going to do anything."

In September, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones admitted police had previously taken a "slightly slower approach" to the "terrorising" of Shirley shops.

She said the level of crime in the area had dropped, following extra police patrols.

The issue also prompted a statement from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said: "Let me be really clear what we're seeing [in Southampton] is completely unacceptable. That shouldn't be happening in any community."

The teenager, who cannot be named, will serve a 12-month contract with Southampton Youth Offender Service, the court said.

On its website, the service describes its work as supervising young people, supporting parents and organising restorative justice work between offenders and those impacted.

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