Boy, 12, arrested over damage after refugee debate

A 12-year-old boy has been arrested after a council had to close its office due to vandalism.

Kent Police said the boy, from Sittingbourne, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of criminal damage and later bailed.

The arrest followed reports to police of criminal damage after people in the public gallery disrupted a Swale Borough Council debate on 10 December about making the area a "district of sanctuary" for refugees.

The council later said its East Street, Sittingbourne, office was unable to open the following day as toilets and a lift were damaged, and "deliberate flooding caused water to pour through the ceiling in several areas".

"Enquiries into other alleged offences are ongoing," Kent Police said.

Officers urged witnesses or anyone with information to contact them or the charity Crimestoppers.

House of Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle previously condemned the incident as an unacceptable "attack on democracy" after Kevin McKenna, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, raised the incident in Parliament.

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