Children aged 4‑5 accused of assaults in Gwynedd and Anglesey
FOI data shows 35 reports in Gwynedd and 21 in Anglesey of alleged crimes by children under ten, including assault and sexual offences.
A Freedom of Information request to North Wales Police revealed that, over the past 12 months, there have been 35 reports of alleged offences committed by children aged between zero and nine in Gwynedd and 21 reports in Anglesey. The request sought details of the children’s ages, the nature of the alleged crimes, the towns where they occurred and the outcomes of the reports.
Among the youngest suspects was a four‑year‑old accused of common assault and battery – a non‑injurious violence offence – in Bangor. In that case a suspect was identified and the victim supported the police investigation, but the force reported “evidential difficulties”.
More serious allegations in Gwynedd included two wounding incidents in Bangor, involving children aged eight and nine. Sexual offence allegations were also recorded for children aged seven, eight and nine in Bethesda, Caernarfon, Llandderfel and Pwllheli.
On Anglesey, a five‑year‑old in Llanerchymedd was alleged to have possessed an indecent image of a child, while another five‑year‑old was linked to an assault occasioning actual bodily harm in Llangefni. A nine‑year‑old in Llangefni faced an accusation of sexual assault on a female under 13, and children aged seven and eight were connected to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in Holyhead.
The most frequently recorded offence across both counties was theft from shops and stalls, with 11 incidents** – seven in Gwynedd and four on Anglesey. In Gwynedd, six of the shop‑lifting reports occurred in Bethesda, involving four children aged nine and two aged ten.
All four Anglesey shop‑lifting records were in Llangefni, with one involving an eight‑year‑old and three involving nine‑year‑olds.
North Wales Police confirmed that the information was correct as at Thursday, 10 September. The disclosed entries represent police‑recorded allegations and outcomes and do not establish that an offence occurred or that a child committed one.