A BOY, aged just 11, has appeared in court charged with 25 offences.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces an array of allegations including theft, harassment and criminal damage.

In one incident he allegedly damaged the window of a vehicle belonging to First Bus, causing £280 of damage.

Just two days later he allegedly committed a similar offence, also on a First Bus.

He also allegedly caused more than £2,100 worth of damage to a window of a home in Southampton, damaged a solar light worth £20 and smashed a shop window, worth £500, belonging to Poundstretcher in Southampton.

As well as criminal damage, the boy also faces allegations of assault, harassment and theft – relating to the theft of tracksuits worth £37 from Peacocks.

All of the alleged incidents took place April 3 and July 3 this year.

The boy appeared at West Hampshire Youth Court earlier this month.

His case was adjourned until today at the request of the prosecution, in order for the charges to be reviewed.

The boy is due to appear at the youth court, which is based at Southampton Magistrates’ Court, later today.

According to figures from the government's Youth Justice Statistics for England and Wales, 26,700 children, aged 10-17, were cautioned or sentenced from April 2017 to March 2018.

The figure is a six per cent decline on the previous year.

However the figures show 4,500 knife and offensive weapon offences were committed by children – a seven per cent increase.

The figures for 2017 to 2018 also show that more than 40 per cent of children and young people reoffended.

Britain’s youngest known suspect in a British criminal inquiry was just three years old.

He was investigated by police over alleged disorder and vandalism.

The youngest offender in England and Wales was a six-year-old arrested in Bedfordshire on suspicion of robbery in June 2009.