Children as young as eight are among more than 1,200 youngsters who have been referred for housebreaking incidents across Scotland in the last five years, figures show.

The majority of the 1,289 cases referred to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) involved 13 to 16-year-olds.

The two eight-year-olds were from Aberdeen. Two nine-year-olds – one from Clackmannanshire and another from the Western Isles – were also reported, along with three 10-year-olds and 35 17-year-olds.

The 2018-2022 figures were obtained by justice and social affairs magazine 1919 under a freedom of information request.

Glasgow took top spot with 495 incidents over five years. Orkney had the least with just four.

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