A man died when he and his son were pelted with sticks and stones as they played cricket, a court has heard.

The Old Bailey heard the pair were attacked by a jeering mob of children aged between 10 and 13.

 

Ernest Norton, 67, was at Erith Leisure Centre in south-east London in February 2006 when he was hit on the head by a missile and suffered a heart attack.

 

Prosecutors said the five accused, who deny manslaughter and violent disorder, were jointly responsible for the death.

 

Fractured cheekbone

 

The court heard Mr Norton was playing cricket on an outdoor pitch with his 17-year-old son James when up to 15 youths gathered at the fence and began shouting abuse.

 

David Fisher QC, prosecuting, said: "As the abuse worsened, the group began throwing stones and pieces of wood at father and son.

 

"Ernest Norton was struck at least twice on the head by these missiles.

 

"One of the stones hit him on the left side of his face causing a fracture to his cheekbone."

 

It was their joint course of conduct, quite probably with others, that caused his death

 

David Fisher QC, prosecutor

 

He suffered a heart attack and, despite receiving medical attention at the scene, died later that afternoon.

 

Mr Fisher said the mob, including the five accused, ran off after the "unnecessary, pointless and random attack".

 

The court was told a young girl had witnessed the attack and named a boy who had thrown a large stone, the size of half a brick, which hit Mr Norton on the head.

 

Jurors heard Mr Norton, who lived with his wife and son in Erith, had undergone a triple bypass operation in 1977 but had a "fit and active lifestyle".

 

The prosecution said he was in good health on the day he died but "the stress and trauma of abuse and a physical attack would make him vulnerable to a heart attack".

 

Those accused include two brothers aged 12 and 13, one boy aged 13 and two 14-year-olds. Mr Fisher said "their youth is no defence".

 

"They were quite old enough to know that to abuse Ernest Norton and his son was wrong and that to throw stones and pieces of wood at them was wrong.

 

"It was their joint course of conduct, quite probably with others, that caused his death."

 

The case continues.

 

What you think?

 

I think they should lock them up and throw way the key. Regardless of thier age.

 

What's even more disturbing for me, Is I walk past this everyday, It's quite dautning to think someone has DIED there.

It is hardly surprising.

 

In 100 years time social historians will look back at Tony Blair's reign and hail the UK Government sanctioning the European Children's Charter Act of 1997 as the biggest disaster (not that War in Iraq) of his prime minister ship.

 

As a result of allowing children's rights, school teachers are unable to physically discipline children. Police are unable to prosecute minors for mini crime sprees, adults are unable to lay a finger on children vandalising their property or stealing goods from their shops for fear of prosecution and as a result over the last 10 years expulsion rates in schools have gone up 6 fold; teachers leaving the education system have more than doubled; drugs found on schools have gone up by over 300%......, etc.

 

As a result we have a "chav generation" who have little respect for their elders or authority & probably regard Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Charley from Big Brother 8 as positive role models.

It is hardly surprising.

 

In 100 years time social historians will look back at Tony Blair's reign and hail the UK Government sanctioning the European Children's Charter Act of 1997 as the biggest disaster (not that War in Iraq) of his prime minister ship.

 

As a result of allowing children's rights, school teachers are unable to physically discipline children. Police are unable to prosecute minors for mini crime sprees, adults are unable to lay a finger on children vandalising their property or stealing goods from their shops for fear of prosecution and as a result over the last 10 years expulsion rates in schools have gone up 6 fold; teachers leaving the education system have more than doubled; drugs found on schools have gone up by over 300%......, etc.

 

As a result we have a "chav generation" who have little respect for their elders or authority & probably regard Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Charley from Big Brother 8 as positive role models.

 

Yup, I completley agree with you here.

It is hardly surprising.

 

In 100 years time social historians will look back at Tony Blair's reign and hail the UK Government sanctioning the European Children's Charter Act of 1997 as the biggest disaster (not that War in Iraq) of his prime minister ship.

 

As a result of allowing children's rights, school teachers are unable to physically discipline children. Police are unable to prosecute minors for mini crime sprees, adults are unable to lay a finger on children vandalising their property or stealing goods from their shops for fear of prosecution and as a result over the last 10 years expulsion rates in schools have gone up 6 fold; teachers leaving the education system have more than doubled; drugs found on schools have gone up by over 300%......, etc.

 

As a result we have a "chav generation" who have little respect for their elders or authority & probably regard Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Charley from Big Brother 8 as positive role models.

 

 

That pretty much sums it all up :(

FULL TRUTH there Rich

 

Can't fault a word of it

Totally agree. :cry:

I agree totally with TiP. A large section of the younger generation are growing up without proper discipline and with no respect, not just for their elders, but the rest of society in general :(

It is hardly surprising.

 

In 100 years time social historians will look back at Tony Blair's reign and hail the UK Government sanctioning the European Children's Charter Act of 1997 as the biggest disaster (not that War in Iraq) of his prime minister ship.

 

As a result of allowing children's rights, school teachers are unable to physically discipline children. Police are unable to prosecute minors for mini crime sprees, adults are unable to lay a finger on children vandalising their property or stealing goods from their shops for fear of prosecution and as a result over the last 10 years expulsion rates in schools have gone up 6 fold; teachers leaving the education system have more than doubled; drugs found on schools have gone up by over 300%......, etc.

 

As a result we have a "chav generation" who have little respect for their elders or authority & probably regard Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Charley from Big Brother 8 as positive role models.

 

Hear Hear TiP... I'm all for European integration, but this is probably the biggest mistake the EU ever made... In fact, I would go so far as to say that the rot began when the sanction of Corporal Punishement was taken out of schools (which happened over a decade before the European Children's Charter and under the Tory Govt, not Nu Labor..); I'm sorry, but the old "six of the best" in the Headmaster's office DID inspire terror in even the most unruly kids. Now all these little fukkers go on about is their "rights".... As I've said before, children are just like dogs, in a psychological sense, they have no sense of others or how their actions affect others... As Freud would have it, children have no developed "Superego", they are all about the "Id" - the Pleasure Principle.. So, in that sense, it is completely ridiculous to treat them on the same level as adults and afford them the same rights as adults, as adults, we have developed our "Superegos" and the vast majority of us are aware that our actions do have consequences... All this middle-class, liberal nonsense of treating kids like adults has done is to lead us to the situation we now find ourselves in, couple that with the over a decade and a half of ruinous Thatcherist/Majorist social policies (which has hardly been 'turned around' by the present administration...) and the self-centred, selfish and uncaring legacy that this has left, and is it any wonder that the world of sh!t that we are living in now has occurred....?

 

I'm a very much a radical kind of guy, but when it comes to this sort of thing, I'm afraid I turn into a complete right-wing reactionary - BRING BACK THE CANE....

 

As a result we have a "chav generation" who have little respect for their elders or authority & probably regard Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Charley from Big Brother 8 as positive role models.

 

 

It's the parents fault that they let them watch programs and read magzines that talk about adult issues. I know that Britney Spears did not ask for her mental breakdown to be displayed in front of the world.

I don't quite get how Britney and Charley got into this conversation. Unfortunate, stupid people they may be, but I don't see how they can be accused of helping to influence kids to go out and attack people.

Am I the only one who thinks all this is a total overreaction? :mellow: The media reporting absolutely EVERYTHING now has led people thinking that a couple of people being like this means the entire country, I failed to see any difference personally. And what people fail to realise is the fact that people always DEMAND respect just because they're older or whatever, if you're not gonna give respect to people then they won't respect you back and that applies to everyone simple as that.

 

This also applies to this so called obesity crisis, where are these fat people ffs? <_<

It is hardly surprising.

 

In 100 years time social historians will look back at Tony Blair's reign and hail the UK Government sanctioning the European Children's Charter Act of 1997 as the biggest disaster (not that War in Iraq) of his prime minister ship.

 

As a result of allowing children's rights, school teachers are unable to physically discipline children. Police are unable to prosecute minors for mini crime sprees, adults are unable to lay a finger on children vandalising their property or stealing goods from their shops for fear of prosecution and as a result over the last 10 years expulsion rates in schools have gone up 6 fold; teachers leaving the education system have more than doubled; drugs found on schools have gone up by over 300%......, etc.

 

As a result we have a "chav generation" who have little respect for their elders or authority & probably regard Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Charley from Big Brother 8 as positive role models.

 

100% correct .

Am I the only one who thinks all this is a total overreaction? :mellow: The media reporting absolutely EVERYTHING now has led people thinking that a couple of people being like this means the entire country, I failed to see any difference personally. And what people fail to realise is the fact that people always DEMAND respect just because they're older or whatever, if you're not gonna give respect to people then they won't respect you back and that applies to everyone simple as that.

 

This also applies to this so called obesity crisis, where are these fat people ffs? <_<

 

not sure what world youre living in m8.... i work in schools, kids ARE obese, ive just got back from holiday and again young boys/teens are alarmingly over weight.

 

wether or not older people deserve respect by right is really immaterial, its a good notion to grow up with! the facts are that those boys shouldnt have been throwing objects at anyone.