[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14504005

As courts in England work round the clock to process a stream of riot-related cases, a clearer picture is emerging of who was involved.

Looting and disorder charges continue to dominate proceedings, but more serious offences of violent disorder are beginning to be heard.

Some magistrates courts in London sat throughout the night for a second time and there were late evening sittings in Birmingham and Manchester.

One student was given a six-month sentence for stealing a bottle of water, and BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman said tough sentences were "inevitable" given the public outrage.

Amongst those streaming into the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court was a teenager who has volunteered to be an Olympic Games ambassador.

Described as a "talented sportswoman", Chelsea Ives, 18, allegedly threw bricks at a police car during disturbances in Enfield, north London, on Sunday.

She denied violent disorder, attacking a police car, and two counts of burglary and was remanded in custody until next Wednesday.

A man who admitted handling stolen goods was jailed for 22 weeks at the same court after police found a strimmer and chainsaw worth £100 at his house.

Jamie Spears, 22, of Southwark, had said he bought the chainsaw for £20 "from a junkie" and found the strimmer outside Tesco on the Old Kent Road.

Two teenagers who decided to join in the rioting after returning home from their local youth club have been remanded in custody to be sentenced by the Crown court.

Charlie Burton and Mario Quirssaca, both 18, had spent Monday night playing football at a youth club. The court was told that when Burton got home he saw TV coverage of rioting in Croydon.

He told the police he was "up for it" and wanted to "create havoc", the court was told.

Quirssaca, described as a talented semi-professional footballer - whose first match of the season is on Saturday - said he "wanted to cause chaos".

Both were remanded in custody after admitting violent disorder in Sloane Square. Quirssaca also admitted stealing items worth more than £1,000 from clothing store Hugo Boss. Their families were said to be furious and ashamed.

Manchester Crown Court heard details of a case involving a man caught "red-handed" coming out of a looted Maplin electrical store carrying a Macmillan Cancer charity box containing £50.

Judge Berg told Daniel Bell, 30, from Stockport his crime was "probably the most despicable and contemptible I have had to deal with all day".

He added: "It is breathtakingly wicked. You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

Bell initially indicated he would deny the charges of burglary and theft, but changed his plea to guilty after Judge Berg told his solicitor the evidence was "cogent".

In the same court, student Hamza Abubakar, 19, from Moss Side, admitted taking a £200 camcorder from the same electrical store.

Despite no previous convictions, he had his bail application refused and was remanded in custody.

In the same court, Gary Herriot, 47, from Collyhurst, admitted handling £1,000 worth of jewellery from Links of London in Manchester - a store targeted by rioters.

Herriot, who has 126 previous convictions, admitted the charge and will be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court later.

Back at Westminster Magistrates Court, a care worker with a two-year-old child - charged with receiving stolen goods including four TV sets - was refused bail.

Regina Appiah, 25, from Clapham Park Estate, was likely to lose her job and accommodation and could even see her child taken into care if she was remanded in custody, her lawyer told the court.

Nevertheless the court remanded her.

Also remanded in custody to face a Crown court trial was Shereka Leigh, 22, from Tottenham, who was allegedly pictured trying on shoes after looting a sports store on Sunday.

She is accused of stealing items including footwear, a laptop computer and hair straighteners from Tottenham Hale retail park.

Cases were heard late on Thursday night at Birmingham Magistrates' Court, including Leonard Stephens, 22, from Bordesley Village who handed himself into police.

He admitted burglary of a sports shop and being involved in city centre disorder, and was remanded in custody for sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court on 8 September.

Wayne Collins, 24, from Luton and Renardo Farrell, 19, from Nechells were charged with violent disorder at the Barton Arms pub on Wednesday. Both will appear at Crown Court on 26 September.

Craig Rollason, 39, from Newtown, admitted assaulting police, damaging a police vehicle and racially abusing an officer. He was remanded in custody until 23 August.

Anthony Robinson, 24, from Handsworth denied charges of violent disorder following trouble in Toll House Way, Smethwick, on Wednesday and attacks on ambulance staff later in Victoria Way. He remains in custody ahead of a Crown court appearance on 22 September.

Bang 'em up ! Bang 'em all up!

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14504294

About 1,600 people are now known to have been arrested following four nights of riots and disturbances in cities across England.

According to Ministry of Justice figures released on Friday, 796 of those arrested have been charged with offences ranging from burglary, theft, and handling stolen goods to offences of violence and disorder.

It is not yet possible to do a detailed breakdown of the figures, as not all the data is available. The graphic attached - based on information provided by Greater Manchester Police and City of Manchester magistrates' court, and Nottinghamshire Police - gives a snapshot of what has happened to some of those charged so far:

The national figures from the Ministry of Justice show that about 66% of those who have appeared in court have been remanded into custody to wait for another court hearing.

The MoJ says this compares with an average remand figure of 10% for similar offences in 2010.

Many of those who have been remanded into custody will have their cases referred to the Crown Courts which have tougher sentencing powers.

About 83% of the suspected rioters were over the age of 18.

Banged up !

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14524834

Total arrests across seven police forces by Monday morning were 2,772.

By noon, more than 1,179 people had appeared before the courts, the Ministry of Justice said, mostly on charges related to burglary, theft and handling, violence and violent disorder - 65% of people charged were remanded in custody.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14538492

Richard Mannington Bowes, 68, died three days after being attacked as he tried to stamp out a fire in Ealing, west London, on 8 August.

The boy, who cannot be named, has also been charged with violent disorder and four counts of burglary.

His mother has been charged with perverting the course of justice and both are due to appear in courts in Croydon on Tuesday.

The boy will appear at Croydon Youth Court while his mother is due at the magistrates' court.

Bang him up with the "big boys" .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14504294

More than 2,770 people have been arrested in connection with the riots in towns and cities around England last week. So far 1,277 suspects have appeared in court - most of them in London.

The Ministry of Justice has released some statistics based on those who had appeared in court up to midday 15 August.

More details are beginning to emerge of who the rioters were and what happened to them in court. The graphic below is based on information provided by Greater Manchester Police and City of Manchester magistrates' court.

Manchester's figures suggest a slightly higher proportion of under-18s have been arrested in the city - 25% - compared to the national average of 21%. The number of those remanded in custody is also slightly higher.

In Croydon, there were far fewer under-18s involved than there were nationally, but more women have been arrested. The graphic below is based on information supplied by Croydon magistrates. Full details of the court decisions are not yet available.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14558465

More than 1,000 people have been charged over the rioting in London, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Acting commissioner for the force Tim Godwin hailed a "significant milestone" as he said a total of 1,005 suspects had been charged after 1,733 arrests.

Praising the work of officers gathering evidence to bring the charges, he said the public response to appeals over the riots last week had been fantastic.

The force said it was aiming for 3,000 convictions over the disorder.

The more, the merrier .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14668770

The Metropolitan Police says that it has now arrested more than 2,000 people in connection with rioting and looting across London earlier this month.

Scotland Yard said that 2,006 people had been arrested - and of those 1,135 had been charged.

Separate figures from the Ministry of Justice show that, across England, almost 1,500 people have appeared in court to answer riot-related charges.

Some 70% of alleged offenders have been remanded in custody.

Scotland Yard said that 954 of those charged over London's disturbances had already appeared before the court, 82 had been sentenced and 42 of them jailed.

Excellent ......

[lostalex]

Let;'s remember that the rioters actually KILLed people okay. They arn't just some wayward youth looking for a new pair of sneakers. They KILLED and MURDERED innocent people.

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by lostalex

Let;'s remember that the rioters actually KILLed people okay. They arn't just some wayward youth looking for a new pair of sneakers. They KILLED and MURDERED innocent people.

"The rioters"? No, a few of them did, out of god knows how many there were, lets far toosweeping a statement

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14598021

Prison governors have been reminded about the safety of inmates after three prisoners on remand following the riots were victims of a "nasty" assault.

The incident at Cookham Wood young offenders' institution in Kent on Saturday left two of them in hospital.

A Prison Service email urged governors in England and Wales to warn prisoners against revealing too much information, such as which gang they belonged to.

The memo said: "Over the past few days there has been emerging intelligence regarding the consequences of receiving public disorder remands/offenders.

"This is being assessed and processed with individual establishments responding appropriately. In due course this information will be shared more widely.

"A consideration that has been gathering pace is the safety of remands/offenders involved in the public disorder.

"This applies to the range of remands/offenders and is not limited to the young offender/young people estate but includes adult male and female offenders."

It continued: "There has been a nasty three person alleged assault. All three victims were public disorder remands, two currently in hospital.

"It is important that where remands/offenders are received thought is put into their background in terms of their experience of the custodial setting.

"Whilst the induction process ensures that remands/offenders are aware of the risks of stating where they live, what gang they may be in, what team they may support or faith they may be, it is worth ensuring that reception staff give a verbal brief and assess risk where you receive first time in custody people."

I would guess the best advice for "new" offenders is "keep your eyes open and your mouth shut" .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14732986

An 11-year-old has been given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order for stealing a bin during the recent riots.

The boy, from Romford in east London, is the youngest rioter in London to face prosecution, according to police.

He committed the offence just five days after being given a referral order for arson and criminal damage in an unrelated incident.

The youngster took the waste bin, which was worth £50, from Debenhams in Romford on 8 August.

Havering Magistrates' Court was told a group of "males" had smashed the windows of the store, causing £6,000 worth of damage.

A policeman spotted the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, reaching in to take a bin that was on display, magistrates heard.

Cut bus seats

The boy had previously admitted a charge of burglary.

The 11-year-old was placed under an 18-month youth rehabilitation order, and told that his local authority will dictate where he lives for the next six months.

He was already under a referral order, put in place at the same court on 3 August, for an incident in July when he cut the seats of a bus with a stanley knife and tried to set fire to the exposed foam.

When the driver would not let him off, the 11-year-old threw a stone at the exit door of the route 174 bus and then kicked a hole in the shattered glass so that he could jump out while the bus was still moving.

Passing sentence, District Judge John Woollard said boy, who sat in court next to his mother, had been involved in "major disorder" just days after appearing before magistrates.

He said: "My view is that the offence is a very serious one.

"If you were a little older you would be ending up in prison, you would be looked after there rather than elsewhere.

"You need to understand very clearly that you can't get away with committing offences of this nature."

The nasty little tyke needs a damned good thrashing .....

Bring back the birch, I say .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14926322

One in four people charged over the riots in England had committed more than 10 past offences, figures show.

Three-quarters had a previous caution or conviction, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures show, and those with a criminal record averaged 15 offences.

This showed "existing criminals were on the rampage", said Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke.

The justice system needed changes "to ensure both effective punishment and reform to tackle reoffending", he said.

"I am dismayed to see a hardcore of repeat offenders back in the system."

Mr Clarke added: "We are making our jails places of hard work, getting criminals off drugs and alcohol, toughening community sentences and making offenders pay back to victims and communities for their crimes."

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said that social problems behind the riots had been allowed to fester "out of sight of the middle-class majority".

He said: "Too many people have remained unaware of the true nature of life on some of our estates."

Many of these "dysfunctional communities ... had become fertile grounds for drug dealers, gang recruiters and violent moneylenders".

For young people in these areas, gangs were filling "a vacuum left by other figures of authority, particularly the family".

This "vacuum of authority" was accompanied by a "distorted morality" that allowed looters to view "an absence of police protection as an open invitation to steal".

Exactly ..... where are the parents and what responsibility are they talking for these miscreants .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19111720

Prison sentences totalling more than 1,800 years have been handed out to rioters following the disorder which began exactly a year ago.

Riots and looting began in Tottenham, north London, on 7 August 2011 after police shot Mark Duggan.

It swiftly spread becoming the worst public disorder for a generation.

A year on from the unrest, Ministry of Justice figures show that a total of 1,292 offenders have been jailed for their part in the trouble.

The average custodial sentence was 16.8 months - more than four times the average term handed down by magistrates' courts for similar offences.

It means courts have issued approximately 1,808 years of sentences to rioters.

A year on, the CPS is still dealing with approximately 10 riot-related cases a week.

Some 308 defendants still face live proceedings over their alleged roles in the mayhem.

A specialised unit, consisting of 30 staff, including 10 prosecutors, was set up to deal with riot offences .

The hunt continues .....

[starry]

I wonder how many innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time got jailed...

[Livia]

Originally Posted by starry

I wonder how many innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time got jailed...

I'm sure you'd have to be pretty slow-witted to find yourself in the middle of a riot by accident and not make your best effort to get out of the area. If that is the case, however, I feel slightly less sorry for them than I feel for the people who had their businesses, homes and livelihoods burned to the ground. I hope the sentences will be a deterrent to people thinking of stealing themselves some electronics or sportswear in the future.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by starry

I wonder how many innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time got jailed...

None ..... they were all caught in flagrante delicto .....

[starry]

Originally Posted by Livia

I'm sure you'd have to be pretty slow-witted to find yourself in the middle of a riot by accident and not make your best effort to get out of the area.

I hope the sentences will be a deterrent to people thinking of stealing themselves some electronics or sportswear in the future.

Well it was a residential area wasn't it? Not keen on sentences being used as some example, prefer them to be done proportionally. A just law is one which is respected more, most people surely have disdain for punitive action. I know governments like to use fear as a deterrent against their populations but I really don't think it works with most people.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by starry

Well it was a residential area wasn't it? Not keen on sentences being used as some example, prefer them to be done proportionally. A just law is one which is respected more, most people surely have disdain for punitive action. I know governments like to use fear as a deterrent against their populations but I really don't think it works with most people.

Most people have distain for riotous, freeloading scum who disrespect other people's lives and property. You're surely not suggesting that jail terms should not have been handed out on the off-chance that one or two "innocent victims" were jailed? What about the real victims? You don't feel any sympathy for them at all?

This is the UK. The Government tends not to use fear as a deterrent or they would have wheeled in the army with water cannon and rubber bullets, like they would have done in many other countries. So that was a ridiculous claim to make, frankly. Having freedom means being able to hold a peaceful protest without facing persecution or prosecution. It does not mean being able to riot, loot, commit arson and then be patted on the hand and sent home.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Livia

Most people have distain for riotous, freeloading scum who disrespect other people's lives and property. You're surely not suggesting that jail terms should not have been handed out on the off-chance that one or two "innocent victims" were jailed? What about the real victims? You don't feel any sympathy for them at all?

This is the UK. The Government tends not to use fear as a deterrent or they would have wheeled in the army with water cannon and rubber bullets, like they would have done in many other countries. So that was a ridiculous claim to make, frankly. Having freedom means being able to hold a peaceful protest without facing persecution or prosecution. It does not mean being able to riot, loot, commit arson and then be patted on the hand and sent home.

Hear, Hear .....