A 13-year-old boy who assaulted a volunteer police officer at the Great Knaresborough Bed Race has been cautioned.

A special constable required four stitches to a head wound after being attacked outside the town’s So! Bar and bus station at around 4.30pm on June 8. You can read our report at the time here.

The teen, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was arrested and later charged with assaulting an emergency worker and using threatening language.

He was due to appear at Harrogate youth court last Friday (November 8), but when the Stray Ferret arrived to cover the case, we were told it was not going ahead.

The Courts and Tribunals Service (CTS) said the case had been "discontinued" by the Crown Prosecution Service on November 6, after the defendant accepted a youth conditional caution.

A youth conditional caution is a formal warning given to people aged between 10 and 17 who have committed a criminal offence. The offender is required to complete conditions as part the caution, and they can be prosecuted for the original offence if they fail to do so. 

The teenager must complete four conditions as part of his caution: understand better the consequences of further offending and its impact; complete the Youth Justice Service victim awareness programme; write a letter of apology and engage in reparation. 

The case was dealt with as an out-of-court disposal, which is a way of dealing with low-level offences without going to court. 

Out-of-court disposals are usually handled by local police forces and the Youth Justice Panel, and are deemed an early intervention method. 

The CTS spokesperson said no further court hearings are scheduled for the boy.

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Police about the case. The force declined to comment, but it did outline the four conditions of the caution.