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Girl faces jail over G20 protest | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A teenage girl has admitted smashing a computer monitor in an attack on the Royal Bank of Scotland's City branch during the G20 protests in London. | |
The 17-year-old from Scotland pleaded guilty to burglary and criminal damage at the West London Youth Court. | |
Lithuanian Mindaugas Lenartavicius, 21, was remanded in custody after he was charged with arson recklessly endangering life in the attack. | |
Protesters stormed the building on Threadneedle Street on Wednesday. | |
Prosecutor Tiffany-Corinne Moise told the West London Youth Court that the girl, who has not been named, also smashed a window with a keyboard. | |
The teenager had travelled to London for the protest and had drunk up to four cans of strong lager, the court heard. | |
She got on a desk and was going to use a keyboard to smash her way out of the building Tiffany-Corinne Moise, for the prosecution | |
Describing the teenager's arrest, Mrs Moise said: "Inside one of these rooms, he (a police officer) saw a small person holding a computer keyboard, smashing it against a computer monitor and window." | |
The girl's friends had urged her to enter the bank, the court heard. | |
"She got on a desk and was going to use a keyboard to smash her way out of the building, but then realised the window was already broken," Mrs Moise said. | |
The girl's solicitor Miranda Ching said her "remorseful" client had been involved in political activism since leaving school at 13. | |
"She had no specific intention of entering the building, no specific intention of causing damage. However, she was vastly influenced by her friends. | |
"It's not in her nature to be someone to wreak havoc or cause trouble for the sake of causing trouble." | |
'Started fire' | |
The girl was released on conditional bail and will be sentenced on 24 April. | |
The second protester, Mr Lenartavicius, was accused of trying to set fire to window blinds in the office using a cigarette lighter and also helping other protesters enter the building through broken windows. | |
He put the lives of the bank's staff and activists at risk, the court was told. | |
Mr Lenartavicius, from Palmers Green, north London, was remanded until 4 June when he will appear at Southwark Crown Court. | |
Daniel Champion and Ben Shiells, both 18, were charged with burglary, criminal damage and theft of a computer. | Daniel Champion and Ben Shiells, both 18, were charged with burglary, criminal damage and theft of a computer. |
They were released on bail to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 14 April. | |
More than 120 people were arrested during the two-day protests. | More than 120 people were arrested during the two-day protests. |