A ten-year-old boy who fled to the USA with his father after admitting robbing a youngster will not be brought home to face justice.

The law in Michigan means the Banbury boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, falls under the age of criminal responsibility.

Police said there was no point extraditing the boy, who admitted at Banbury youth court robbing a youngster of his £12 watch.

Insp Robin Gardner, of Banbury police, said: "There is a different age at which young people are held criminally responsible in that part of the United States compared to this country. "Therefore, going for extradition would be a long and costly exercise which could come to nothing because of all the legal problems to be encountered.

"But we are not leaving it there, because the boy still has to face criminal charges in Banbury."

Representations would be made to see if the American father could be persuaded to send the boy back. In Britain, it is presumed children over ten know right from wrong., but Michigan law does not apply this rule to ten-year-olds. The boy was traced after he failed to turn up for a February court hearing. He also admitted using threatening and abusive language during an incident on August 30 and faces a string of other charges including possessing a pellet gun, trying to rob a boy of cigarettes and assaults for which no pleas were taken.

Story date: Wednesday 07 April

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