Medical emergency halts hearing for South London boys, 12 and 14, charged with attempted murder

One of the boys clutched his chest and became unwell during the hearing on Thursday

An attempted murder hearing for two brothers aged 12 and 14 was halted after one of the children clutched his chest and became unwell. The boys, from south London, appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday before the Recorder of London Judge Mark Lucraft KC.

They are both charged with the attempted murder of an unnamed adult male during a group incident on August 7 in Thornton Heath, south London. Sitting side-by-side behind their lawyer in the well of the court, the defendants spoke to confirm their identities at the start of the hearing.

Judge Lucraft set a provisional trial date for January 4 next year after being told there may potentially be up to seven people charged over the “serious” incident. As he remanded the boys into local authority accommodation, one of them appeared to become distressed, tearfully grabbing his chest and gasping for breath.

The court usher spotted him appearing to become unwell, and called for first aid as the judge temporarily halted proceedings.

Later, Judge Lucraft resumed the hearing in the absence of the boys, and praised his court staff for their swift action. He noted coming to court can often induce a “panic attack” as he set a further case management hearing for November 6.

The defendants cannot be identified for legal reasons because of their young ages.