POLL: Should child, 13, have been sentenced for role in UK riots?

A 13-year-old girl who says she "made a mistake" by getting involved in the UK riots is dividing opinion on whether she should have been left with a criminal record for life.

The school girl was caught up in attacking an asylum seeker hotel in the summer and has been handed out her sentence by the courts.

In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, the youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, revealed she’s been left fearing for the future after a whirlwind justice process.

Now you can make your own thoughts known on whether you think taking the girl through the legal system was the right decision by taking our poll.

The girl, who only turned 13 a month before the incident, said: "I made a mistake, but I don't deserve a criminal record.

"I am sorry and regret kicking the door. It was quite frightening at the time and there were men shouting outside and shouting inside the hotel.

"I was scared going to see the police and to court, I cried, it was horrible seeing my parents go through it with me. I’m worried about my future now and what jobs I might be able to get."

Her parents only discovered their child was caught up in the chaos after the police issued a photo of her alongside grown men as part of an appeal into the disturbance.

Fearing for the safety of their daughter, the frantic parents contacted officers to remove the image and marched her to the station.

Thinking the fright of a police interview would be punishment enough, they said they left the police station with the impression it would probably be a "slap on the wrist".

Instead, there was an outcome that none of them were expecting.

Her stepdad said: "We rang up and told the police our daughter was involved, and they said we need you to come in for a voluntary interview."

Days later the stunned couple were told officers would be charging their daughter with violent disorder. A child legal charity has called the move "extremely concerning" as the family were hauled before court first thing the next day without any time to prepare.

With only a duty solicitor to advise them, the family made the decision to plead guilty. The court heard the girl was taken to the protest outside the Potters International Hotel, which houses asylum seekers, by a parent of a friend.

Police body-worn video showed the teenager briefly bang and kick at a door of the hotel while voices could be heard telling her to stop. Sentencing her, the district judge told the girl it was a "serious and very nasty offence".

The youngster pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was sentenced at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court to a 12-month referral order on September 30. Three months were added to the order due to what was deemed the racially aggravated nature of the offence.

The girl told Express.co.uk: #"The judge said it was racist but I’m not a racist, I don’t know anything about that stuff, I have friends who are not the same race as me.

"My best friend is of mixed heritage, my friends who I visit are Albanian immigrants, they teach me cooking, and nail art. I use the nail designs to decorate my phone case."

In a statement released after the sentencing Hampshire Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo said: "While we appreciate her age, the girl’s behaviour was still completely unacceptable, and her actions caused fear of violence to those inside the hotel and our officers."

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: "We prosecuted cases swiftly during the riots to restore law and order to our streets.

"Our lawyers look carefully at the circumstances of children who are referred to us to make sure it is in the public interest to bring charges."