Terror Kid door Benjamin Zephaniah

Rico is a teenage boy with a passion for computers. He assembles them at home and fixes them at the computer shop where he works. His parents are Spanish Romany. Together they live in debtridden London, which, at the time, is shaken up by riots after several documented cases of police brutality. Even though he is a peaceful boy who wants nothing more but to stay out of trouble, his ethnic background always seems to make him a suspect. As a consequence, he has been picked up and interrogated by the police numerous times. While his friends, including his best friend Karima, run rampant through the streets, he is arrested once again. That is when he finally decides to try and find a way to take action himself. He participates in a demonstration when a man approaches him who introduces himself as Speech. He does not give away anything else about himself then or later but asks Rico to create a website as a birthday present for Ana, a girl who has supposedly done Speech a big favor and who works at the same computer store as Rico. Rico agrees and starts on his new project right away. A few days later Rico finally sees his chance to meaningfully participate in the protest against police brutality and ethnic profiling, when Speech asks him to shut down the police network in an organized event for a mere ten minutes. After having carried out the cyber attack, he learns that in the same time frame a bomb has gone off at the police station. Many people have died in the attack including a class mate’s father. The police are after him from then on, issuing public warnings of Rico Federico, the dangerous terror kid. He runs away and visits his sister Lola, who lets him stay for a while, purchases some new clothes for him and warns him when her roommate Kim rats Rico out to the police. Back on the streets he manages on his own for a day until he meets the brothers Rohan and Dean who recognize him from the wanted pictures on TV. Claiming that they hate the police, they take Rico to their parents’ place and host him. However, Rico soon learns that they want him to bomb a cash machine at a bank. He escapes once again. Lola contacts him again and together they check in to a hotel. On TV, Rico sees that Karima has been arrested because of him. He now feels convinced that he needs to turn himself in, so his sister takes him to Summerfield Police Station where Rico is arrested. During the interrogation he explains – contrary to his lawyer’s advice – that he is guilty of digital trespass and hacktivism, but not murder and terrorism. Nevertheless, the latter is exactly what he is eventually charged with. During the hearing both Karima and Rico plead not guilty to the major charges. The country’s best known human rights barrister Michael Fieldsman defends Rico. When the jury gives their verdict, Karima is set free immediately and Rico is sentenced to twelve months in youth custody for unlawful use of a computer and unauthorized computer access. As he is driven to jail in a secure van, Rico sees Speech standing impassively by the road, watching him being taken away into custody.