Number of children charged with killings soars

Ed: Remember the tally of teenagers convicted of murder I was keeping on the old Chelmsford Anglican Mainstream site?

The number of children prosecuted for murder or manslaughter has risen by more than 140 per cent in two years, prompting new fears over Britain's teenage gang culture.

Home Office statistics show that the number of 10- to 17-year-olds sent for trial on homicide charges leapt from 44 in 2003 to 106 in 2005, the most recent figure available. The number convicted of murder before their 18th birthdays almost tripled in the same period, from nine to 26. The findings follow a recent spate of teenage murders and have led MPs and experts to warn that violence and the use of guns and knives are spiralling among children. Read more