Some of the faces before the courts this week as Britain’s shamed rioters feel the force of the law.
By Susie Beever,
News Reporter
Pictures have emerged of some of the rioters who brought destruction and violence to cities and towns across the UK in recent days, from a Sunderland thug who threw a stone at police to a Liverpool rioter who smashed up a library.
These are just a handful of faces who smashed up Britain’s streets in a weekend of shame for the nation.
Dozens of people have now been charged in connection with riots over the past week, which have seen police officers and members of the public being attacked, buildings destroyed and locals terrified.
Ministers have said courts were on standby while an extra 567 prison spaces have been created to lock up those charged.
Court appearances for those charged over the disorder began on Monday as magistrates dealt with suspected rioters as young as 14 years old. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Liverpool Magistrates Court sitting as a youth court as he admitted violent disorder.
The youngster from Liverpool was seen by police officers to be among a group of young people setting fireworks off in the direction of members of the public and a police carrier. Another man who admitted the same charge, Josh Kellett, was identified as part of a larger group by his “distinctive tattoos”, despite trying to hide behind a balaclava as he threw a stone at police in Sunderland, South Tyneside Magistrates Court heard.
Terrified families were scared to leave their homes’ after carnage hit Plymouth.
Josh Kellett, a violent protester tried to hide behind a balaclava – but was caught out by his ‘distinctive tattoos’
Northumbria Police issued mugshots of Kellett and two others named and shamed as being involved in Friday night’s violence in Wearside. Leanne Hodgson and Andrew Smith both pleaded guilty to violent disorder and were remanded into custody.
In South Yorkshire, 30-year-old Curtis Coulson sobbed in the dock at Sheffield Magistrates Court.
He denied affray following an incident outside Sheffield City Hall on Sunday in which he is alleged to have swung a stick at a woman.
Another rioter who smashed up a community library in Liverpool uttered “nice one, lad” as he was led to the cells after being remanded in court on Monday. Adam Wharton pleaded guilty to burglary after targeting Spellow Library, for which the community has since raised more than £106,000 to repair damages and replace lost and damaged books.
Adam Wharton, 28, pleaded guilty to burglary in relation to serious disorder at Spellow Library in Walton, Liverpool, on Saturday night
Andrew Smith pleaded guilty to violent disorder following the disgraceful scenes in Sunderland last Friday evening
One judge described scenes of disorder at the weekend as “absolutely disgraceful” as he refused bail to four men charged.
Deputy District Judge Liam McStay told Belfast Magistrates’ Court: “The events at the weekend were absolutely disgraceful: a concerted and deliberate attempt to undermine public order and to then domineer the community and there were racist elements to it.”
He added: “This court cannot allow the type of behaviour that occurred on Saturday to be repeated and be visited on other people, and the message has to be if you allow yourself to become involved in these matters for whatever reason, then you will face the consequences.”
Others pictured and shamed for the first time include Gareth Rigby, 43, from Bolton, who was fined at Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court after he admitted a single charge of using threatening words or behaviour.
Disgraceful Rigby told officers to “go f*** themselves” as he was searched during Bolton’s riots.
Gareth Rigby, 43, of Masefield Drive in Bolton, was fined after he admitted a single charge of using threatening words or behaviour during the protests in Bolton.
Disgraceful Derek Drummond also appeared in court over last Tuesday’s violent scenes in Southport which hijacked a peaceful vigil in the town for Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar who were killed in Monday’s attacks.
Drummond, of Southport, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and punching a police officer in the town on Tuesday night.
Overall, at least 378 arrests have been made in connection with the riots. But police are gearing up for further violence yet, with dozens of potential planned events in the UK on Wednesday night. Devon and Cornwall Police said six arrests were made in Plymouth on Monday after “several officers” suffered minor injuries and two members of the public were taken to hospital.
Justice minister Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We will make sure that anyone who is given a custodial sentence as a result of the riots and disorder, there will be a prison place waiting for them.
What we have been able to do in the last week since the problems have arisen is that we have been able to bring forward some additional prison places that we had been due to bring on stream later in the month. There are 567 additional prison places.”
Asked whether there were enough lawyers to deal with the amount of prosecutions coming forward, and the possibility courts could sit through the night, the justice minister told Times Radio: “I think we will make it work, because these are extraordinary circumstances and we need to be delivering swift justice.”
