England’s chief prosecutor has said the age of criminal responsibility should be raised from 10 to at least 15, according to the Law Society Gazette of England and Wales.

The Gazette says Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill voiced concern over the current law in a podcast in which a 10-year-old interviewer said she had been surprised to learn of the current age of criminal responsibility.

Current limit 'very young'

Speaking to Hill for the KidsLaw podcast, Alma-Constance Denis-Smith asked the DPP why the age at which children can be held criminally responsible for their actions was 10, stating that she thought it was “very young”.

Hill replied: “I agree – we all have a lot of growing up to do still, even when we reach the age of 10.”

The KidsLaw podcasts aim to answer children’s questions about how the law works and how it could affect them as they grow up. They are presented by nine-year-old Alma-Constance Denis-Smith and Lucinda Acland, presenter of the First 100 Years’ podcast series which examines 100 years of women in law.

Call for review

The Gazette says the DPP’s comments will reignite the debate called for by MPs on the justice select committee last November, when it asked the Ministry of Justice to review the age limit in England and Wales and consider the impact of raising it to 12 or 14.

Scotland introduced a law change raising the age from 10 to 12 that came into force last year.

In Ireland, under the Children Act 2001, the age of criminal responsibility is 12 years, though there is an exception for 10-year-olds and 11-year-olds charged with very serious offences, such as unlawful killing, a rape offence or aggravated sexual assault.