Birmingham riots: The looters face court

BIRMINGHAM magistrates sat late into the night to hand out rapid punishment to those involved in the city’s riots.
Several of those accused of involvement in the looting were left facing jail sentences after taking the chance to plead guilty to their crimes at the first available opportunity.
The special sitting at the historic magistrates’ court building also laid bare the extent of the devastation visited upon stores which were attacked in Birmingham city centre.
The hearings were told that a shop run by sportswear giant Adidas lost £100,000-worth of stock and suffered £3,000-worth of damage.

Those appearing included a schoolboy, university student, young dad, ex-serviceman and a would-be architect.
The first two men to face the special riots court were a 39-year-old ex-soldier and a 22-year-old who handed himself in because of an “attack of conscience”.
Craig Rollason, 39, of Inkerman House, Newtown, was arrested on Monday night outside the area’s Barton Arms pub.
He pleaded guilty to four charges of damaging a police van, causing racially aggravated harassment alarm and distress and obstructing two police officers in their duties.
The court heard the former soldier threw a can of beer over one officer and kicked another.
Rollason also claimed he owned a gun and threatened he would return to shoot officers.
Police used CS spray on him and he repeatedly spat in a police van, the court heard.
Dave Reece, defending, told the court that Rollason was an ex- serviceman who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.
The court also heard he had substantial previous convictions.
District Judge Jan Jellema ordered pre-sentence reports but warned Rollason he faced a prison sentence.
He was remanded in custody until August 23.
Leonard Stephens, 22, of St Andrew’s Road, Bordesley Green, pleaded guilty to looting the Adidas store on New Street and also admitted stealing clothes from the premises.
The court heard he “actively took part” in the looting of sportswear.
Tariq Khan, defending, said: “Mr Stephens had an attack of conscience and handed himself in voluntarily at Steelhouse Lane police station.
“He recognised himself on police wanted photographs and made a full and frank admission to police on Thursday morning.
“He was in the city centre because he was waiting at a bus stop after visiting his mother in Quinton.
“He saw what was going on in the Adidas store and decided to take clothes for himself.
“He was stopped by officers near the Latif’s store on the outskirts of the city and they seized the clothes he had taken.”
The court heard Stephens was already the subject of a suspended prison sentence.
He was remanded in custody to appear before Birmingham Crown Court on September 8.
The youngest defendant to appear before magistrates was a 14-year-old, from the Wolverhampton area. The schoolboy stood accused of one charge of violent disorder and two charges of burglary connected with disorder in Wolverhampton on Tuesday.
The teen, who did not enter a plea, was bailed to appear before Wolverhampton Youth Court on Monday and placed under a curfew from 5pm to 5am.
Two men were also brought before the courts charged in connection with an incident where shots were allegedly fired outside the Barton Arms shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
Renardo Farrell, of Crompton Road, Nechells, and Wayne Collins, a self-employed barber from Ousay Close, Luton, both denied a joint charge of violent disorder.
Farrell, 19, who the court heard was the son of a Christian theatre producer from Wolverhampton, and Collins, 24, were remanded in custody and will appear at Birmingham Crown Court next Thursday.
The court also heard Collins had been “in contact” with the Prince of Wales’ youth charity, the Prince’s Trust, about putting together a business plan to open his own barbers salon in the Luton area.
* Thomas Partridge, aged 21, from Woodville Road, Kings Heath was arrested in Albert Street Digbeth on Tuesday. He denied going equipped for burglary with gloves and face covering.
He was given conditional bail, electronically tagged, handed a curfew between 7pm and 7am and banned from the inner ring-road of Birmingham
The trial is set for September 30.
* Mohammed Day, aged 25, from Brighton Road, Balsall Heath, was arrested in Albert Street Digbeth on Tuesday. He denied going equipped for burglary with a balaclava and hat.
He was given conditional bail, electronically tagged, handed a curfew between 7pm and 7am and banned from the inner ring-road of Birmingham
The trial is set for September 30.
* Yousuf Day, aged 26, from Brighton Road, Balsall Heath, was arrested in Albert Street Digbeth on Tuesday. He denied going equipped for burglary with scissors and a scarf.
He was given conditional bail, electronically tagged, handed a curfew between 7pm and 7am and banned from the inner ring-road of Birmingham
The trial is set for September 30.
* Stephen Ashman, aged 25, from Edward Street, Smethwick, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis (dealt with by time served in custody).
He pleaded NOT guilty plea to possession of kitchen knife at West Bromwich Bus Station on Wednesday
Bail was refused and he was remanded in custody for trial on September 22.
* Micah Golding, aged 20, from Broughton Road, Handsworth, was arrested on Wednesday near to Perry Barr’s One Stop Shopping Centre. Charged with going equipped for burglary, pleaded not guilty, bail refused, remained in custody to appear in court on August 18 to set a trial date.
* Anthony Robinson, aged 24, from Montague Road, Handsworth. Arrested in Smethwick on Wednesday.
Charged with violent disorder, driving with no insurance and driving otherwise in accordance with a licence and dangerous driving
Pleaded not guilty, bail refused, remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham.
* Male youth (who can’t be named for legal reasons), aged 17 from Birmingham
charged with robbery on 08/08/2011 where 15 offenders stole £11,000 from casino in West Bromwich. Pleaded not guilty, bail denied, remanded in custody to appear before Birmingham Youth Court on August 18. Trail date set for Birmingham Crown Court on September 22.
* Michael Blackwood, aged 24, from Gower Street, Walsall
University student charged with burglary in connection with an incident on Wednesday where masked offenders stole seven Dell laptops and Kodak digital camera and cash box from Optima Housing in Highgate, totalling £4,500.

Birmingham disorder: Police carry out raids to arrest those responsible

 

 

 

 

Birmingham riots: Gallery two

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Violent race riot flared after mosque chief urged Muslims to confront right-wing 'English Defence League' protesters.

The most influential Muslim leader in the West Midlands urged his followers to 'vent their feelings' against Right-wing protesters during a Birmingham rally that ended in violent clashes and 90 arrests.
Birmingham Central Mosque chairman Dr Mohammad Naseem encouraged Muslims to counter-demonstrate during Saturday's anti-Islamic protest by the English Defence League (EDL).
The police had advised community leaders to stop people from attending, reported The Times.

Scroll down for video of the demo

Faces of anger: Some of the Asian youths who opposed protesters from the Right-wing English Defence League in Birmingham. The city's top Muslim leader had urged his followers to 'vent their feelings'

Clashes: The English Defence League demonstration in Birmingham on Saturday

But Dr Naseem said it is not his place to discourage his followers from attending protests: 'The thing is, that is their right, I cannot say, "You don’t have this right."'

Troubled flared as the two groups of protesters clashed in the New Street area of the city centre, close to the main train station.

Terrified shoppers looked on in horror as gangs of men and youths hurled bottles at one another and pelted riot police with bricks.
Dr Naseem said that Muslims were instructed to not attend the rally alone but to team up with other counter-demonstrators including socialist and other religious groups.
He added that he had been assured by police that the EDL protesters and counter-protesters would gather in separate locations.
He said: 'If it was kept as originally intended, then everybody would have had a chance to give vent to their feelings without coming into contact with each other. And that I will take up with the police.'

Police officers hold back members of the public protesting during the event

Last month there were also clashes when the English Defence League - formed after British soldiers were abused by Islamic radicals at a homecoming parade in Luton - held a rally on the same day as the Unite Against Fascism group.
The latest disorder involved around 200 people and spilled on to Bennetts Hill, a street popular with shoppers and lined with a number of pubs.
English Defence League marchers were involved in running disturbances which lasted all afternoon before the Right-wing protesters were taken to another part of the city by bus.
Witnesses claimed the English Defence League marchers, many of whom had been drinking since the morning, ripped up seats on the journey away from the city centre.

English Defence League supporters hold aloft the flag of Israel and gesture to police as they are corralled into a subway following the demonstration

But some members slipped away from the police, clashing with more than 30 socialist protesters amid cries of 'Racist scum, out of Brum'. After an hour of angry skirmishes in the city centre, the situation deteriorated further after a group of Asian men also joined in.
Sarah Edwards had to duck into a cafe to avoid being caught in the violence.
She said: 'We suddenly saw what seemed to be about 200 Asian men running down the street, throwing bricks.

'They had bandanas over their faces and were shouting and screaming. We were so scared, we feared for our lives and had to run into the cafe so we wouldn't get hurt. It is so shocking to see this on our streets'
The English Defence League has claimed it is not racist, even saying it did not want any violence to happen at the pre-planned protest.

A man holds up a banner during the event, which was accompanied by a strong police presence 

A police officer restrains a man as the demonstration becomes violent

One protester from the league, Leisha Brookes, 42, said: 'We are simply protesting about the fact that if people come to our country, they should respect our laws.
'If an English person went to an Arab country they would be expected to dress appropriately, and all we are asking is for them to do the same.'
The league has planned protest marches in other cities, including one next month in Manchester.
Yesterday a West Midlands Police spokesman said all those arrested were male, aged between 16 and 39, and offences included criminal damage and violent disorder, including possession of an offensive weapon.
He added: 'A number of fixed penalty notices have been issued while the remainder have been bailed while further enquiries take place.'

Contained: English Defence League supporters are herded into a pub entrance

Birmingham City Council last night praised the police for 'successfully' managing the event.
But Labour MP Khalid Mahmood accused police of failing to prevent the riots.
He said: 'Police have had four weeks to plan for this but they have failed innocent members of the public in Birmingham city centre.