UK > History > 2011 > Violence

A youth kicks the window of a jewelry store

near the Bullring shopping center in Birmingham, England,

as violence spreads outside London

Monday evening, Aug. 8, 2011.

Photograph: David Jones

PA/AP

Boston Globe > Big picture > London riots: update

August 9, 2011

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/08/london_riots_update.html

Ex-police officer,

wife and daughter

found dead in Melton Mowbray

Two more children were critically injured in the incident
at home after their father apparently lost his job in Leicestershire police

Friday 9 December 2011
09.06 GMT
Guardian.co.uk,
Alexandra Topping
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 09.06 GMT on Friday 9 December 2011. It was last modified at 09.30 GMT on Friday 9 December 2011.

A former police officer, his wife and one of their daughters have died in a violent incident in the family's house in Melton Mowbray. Two other children, aged 15 and 13, were left in a critical condition.

Tobias Day, 37, a former police inspector, who it is thought recently lost his job, his wife, Samantha, a 38-year-old nursery worker, and their seven-year-old daughter were found dead after a violent argument in their home on Thursday.

Their eldest child, aged 15, fled the house despite being seriously injured in order to raise the alarm. She ran into the nearby Swallowdale primary school and police were called to the area at 4.23pm, they confirmed.

Armed riot police forced their way into the house using battering rams. The two other children are being treated for life-threatening injuries in hospital.

Leicestershire Constabulary have referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) but a spokesman would not comment on the reasons why.

Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

The former officer is believed to have won awards for his bravery as part of his work and ran the London Marathon for a colleague who was stabbed to death by her boyfriend. Twice in 2001 he confronted thieves after spotting suspicious behaviour and stopped them until help arrived, despite suffering a stab wound from a screwdriver on one occasion. On another occasion, he held down a thief who was high on drugs as one of his daughters watched, according to the Telegraph.

But it is believed Day had recently lost his job at Leicestershire police. His replacement, Inspector Kev Morris, recently wrote on the force's website: "I intend to build on the good work that my predecessor Inspector Toby Day has achieved during his tenure at Beaumont Leys local policing unit."

A Leicestershire police spokesman said: "We are in the initial stages of the investigation but at this stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

"The house has been cordoned off to allow for a forensic examination."

A spokesman for the IPCC said: "We have been notified by Leicestershire Constabulary of an incident in Melton today involving fatalities.

"We will be assessing the circumstances to determine whether the IPCC needs to be involved in any investigation."

Postmortem examinations will be carried out in due course.

    Ex-police officer, wife and daughter found dead in Melton Mowbray, G, 9.12.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/09/police-officer-dead-melton-mowbray

Experience: my father killed my mother

'He stabbed her in the chest 16 times using two bread knives'

Friday 25 November 2011
22.59 GMT
Anonymous
Guardian.co.uk
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 22.59 GMT on Friday 25 November 2011. A version appeared on p14 of the Weekend section of the Guardian on Saturday 26 November 2011. It was last modified at 00.09 GMT on Saturday 26 November 2011.

Four weeks after my 13th birthday, my dad killed my mum. He stabbed her in the chest 16 times using two bread knives. The murder was premeditated; he had brought the knives to the house with him earlier that day, and after he was arrested he confessed his intent.

That day I had come home ready to give my mum the fiver I had borrowed from her the week before. I was met by police officers. They didn't say what was wrong. My friend two doors down came over and I knew by his reaction that something awful had happened.

The trigger for the murder was my dad hearing that my mum wanted a divorce. He simply couldn't accept the marriage was over. As a committed Jehovah's Witness, he believed the end of the world was nigh and only a few chosen people would be saved and so, inexplicably, he thought he had to kill his wife to ensure only he could have her in the new world. There was another motive: my mum had started to date again and this filled him with deep jealousy. He felt if he couldn't have her, then no one else would.

My childhood had been fine until that point. My father was a hard disciplinarian but I never saw nastiness or violence.

My father's monstrous crime shattered my family. Six of us – ranging from 11 to 28 – were left behind. The hub of the family, our mum and dad, had imploded in the most violent of circumstances. The wider family support network seemed to evaporate and we were left alone and ashamed. The press splashed the story across the front pages of our local paper, piling humiliation on top of grief. Nothing about the family seemed normal any more – "get-togethers" felt odd and contrived, weddings and birthdays seemed incomplete and tinged with sadness. Some siblings sought refuge in religion or cults and some, like me, have been plagued with recurring thoughts of suicide. Others preferred to live in denial or blot out the past with drink or drugs.

In the immediate aftermath I moved between two of my brothers' homes. It was difficult; they were too busy dealing with their own grief and pain to care for a bereaved 13-year-old boy. Then I moved in with my brother's parents-in-law who were very caring and looked after me until I left home. My life stabilised, I coped. I went to college, got a job and became a father myself.

My family still finds it difficult to confront our grief. Even now conversations about Mum or Dad are marked by awkward silences, as if we are the guilty ones in some way. Trite phrases such as, "We should move on" pepper our conversations. Perhaps the magnitude of the loss is too painful to dwell on, perhaps it is just easier to forget.

There are times when the sense of a painful and profound loss consumes me. I still miss my mum terribly. I wish she were back here and I could talk to her again. I wish I could have protected her from my dad that day. And most of all I wish she hadn't died in the way she did.

My father pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 12 years. In prison he refused to co-operate with the rehabilitation process and once he had served his tariff he was repeatedly denied parole because he would not address the motivations of his crime, a condition for a lifer. He died in prison last year after serving a total of 26 years, more than double his original sentence. From what we can tell, he never confided to anyone inside that he had six children – his closest confidant knew of only one. Maybe he was in denial or maybe he didn't care. We'll never know.

After his death we obtained his prison files and personal effects. The files revealed that outwardly he was never contrite about his crime. He appeared to die stubborn and self-righteous. The files also contained my father's previously unseen handwritten confessions to other, hidden crimes. The new information hit our family all over again – the sexual abuse of his youngest daughter, repeated rape of our mum and the attempted rape of a child in the next street. The revelations have reopened old wounds and inflicted new ones.

I long to meet my dad again on adult terms and let him know face-to-face the suffering he has caused. In these dreams, what I say makes him cry with regret, sorrow and shame.

    Experience: my father killed my mother, G, 25.11.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/nov/25/my-father-killed-my-mother

Police officers stabbed in London disturbance

Four officers taken to hospital, three with stab wounds,

after attack by man during incident in Kingsbury, north London

Guardian.co.uk
Staff and agencies
Saturday 19 November 2011
15.14 GMT
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 15.14 GMT on Saturday 19 November 2011. A version appeared in the Guardian on Monday 21 November 2011. It was last modified at 15.14 GMT on Saturday 19 November 2011. It was first published at 11.23 GMT on Saturday 19 November 2011

Four Police officers Stabbed after being called to a disturbance in north-west London.
Forensic officers at the crime scene in Kingsbury Road, north London. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Four police officers have been injured, including three thought to have suffered stab wounds, after being attacked by a man in a disturbance in London.

The four officers were taken to hospital after the attack in Kingsbury Road, Kingsbury, north-west London, Scotland Yard said.

A spokesman gave no information on the condition of the officers but said their attacker had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The Yard spokesman said: "Police were called at approximately 8.40 this morning to a disturbance in Kingsbury Road, Kingsbury.

"Officers attended and attempted to speak with a man, who subsequently attacked them.

"Four officers were injured during the incident and have been taken to hospital.

"A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody at a north London police station."

Three of the officers are thought to have been stabbed while the other suffered a hand injury, although it is not clear how. Olympia Logofagul, 24, who works at the Kings Coffee shop on Kingsbury Road, said: "I was working and I saw some police officers standing outside.

"There were a lot of officers, more than five but no more than 10."

A spokeswoman for London ambulance service said they took five patients to hospital, all conscious and breathing.

Police said later that they had been called to reports of a man causing a disturbance in the street.

"Officers attempted to speak with the man before he ran into a local butcher's shop and grabbed a knife," a Yard spokesman said.

"Officers followed the man in an attempt to detain him and were subsequently assaulted.

"A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody at a north London police station."

Speaking close to the scene of the incident, Chief Superintendent Dalwardin Babu, the borough commander for Harrow, said that four officers had suffered stab wounds.

The first had stomach wounds, the second had head injuries and a slash to the arm, the third had stab wounds to a leg and the fourth had slash wounds on a hand as well as a broken hand. Police forensic experts continued to inspect the crime scene.

Mohammad Qasim, 51, owner of the Kingsbury Halal Butchers, described how a man walked into his shop and said: "Give me a chopper".

Qasim, who has owned the shop for 24 years, said: "It was about 9.20, everybody was busy, customers come in the morning time.

"The man came quickly inside and said 'give me a chopper'.

"The boys who work for me said 'why give you a chopper?'. The man was very strong."

The shopkeeper explained how the man had then taken a butcher's knife which was about 12 in inches long. He said: "After a few minutes police came in and tried to catch him and he stabbed one.

"There was plenty of blood inside, everything was a mess and then police came and said 'go out'.

"Everybody came out and police went in and took the guy."

Asked how he was feeling, Qasim said: "Very bad, I'm very upset."

    Police officers stabbed in London disturbance, G, 19.11.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/19/police-officers-stabbed-london-disturbance

Mark Duggan's funeral cortege joined by 1,000 mourners

Community leaders call for unity and peace
at the funeral service of man whose fatal shooting by police sparked August's riots

Friday 9 September 2011
Guardian.co.uk
Hugh Muir and Diane Taylor
18.20 BST
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 18.20 BST on Friday 9 September 2011. A version appeared on p14 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Saturday 10 September 2011. It was last modified at 00.10 BST on Saturday 10 September 2011.

Up to 1,000 mourners joined a cortege through the streets of Tottenham on Friday for the funeral of Mark Duggan, the man whose shooting by police sparked rioting and copycat disturbances in towns and cities across England.

They travelled by car and on foot from the home of Duggan's parents to the Broadwater Farm estate in north London, where he grew up, stopping there for a short vigil and emotional church service. Then the extraordinary procession walked through the back streets for a graveside ceremony. A single voice sang I'll Fly Away, and white balloons were released into the air.

Police mounted a "low-visibility" operation. There were uniformed officers helping with the traffic but thousands of others were held in contingency nearby.

After weeks of speculation about Duggan and his character, and questions about the exact circumstances of his shooting, senior community figures joined the victim's friends and relatives for what was portrayed by most as a rebuttal of the portrait drawn of him and of the community around Broadwater Farm.

"We reject the stigma that has been placed on this family and this community," Rev Nims Obunge told the congregation.

"Let mothers not come and bury their children any more. Let fathers not come and weep over their children's graves. We have been scarred, marginalised, stigmatised, but today we stand together.

"We say, not any more. We shall stop this. We take the death of Mark to show that there is something wrong. We pray that his death will not be in vain, that we learn what we need to learn and that we have a future that is ours to hold on to."

Stafford Scott, a community leader, said the circumstances surrounding Duggan's death had forced the community to unify. "We believe there is no justice, there is just us," he said. "This is a community that is battle-weary. I have known four people in my life who have died in these circumstances. We will draw a sense of togetherness. If there is to be a memorial to Mark let it be that our young people come together and stick together."

The church service was held at the Pentecostal New Testament Church of God in Wood Green, a district also scarred by last month's disturbances. Mourners heard a tribute from Duggan's fiancee, Semone Brown. He was, she said: "My first real love, we laughed together and cried together. We faced trials and tribulations together. We had our ups and our downs but I always loved him. He gave me four beautiful children."

There were emotional scenes as Duggan's cousin Donna Martin began a eulogy. "I'm going to find this difficult," she said. Mark would have said 'Balance, balance,' which means 'Settle yourself'."

At that point she was overcome and seemed unable to continue. Sections of the congregation urged her on with Duggan's own phrase, "balance, balance". She said Duggan had a job at Stansted airport and recently submitted an application to become a fireman, "obviously thinking about how he could help others".

She said he had a strong, positive bond with local children. "He encouraged them to take part in lots of activities and would tell them were they went wrong and how to put it right next time. He was just a big kid himself."

Duggan, she said, "was always seen as a peacemaker".

Her cousin had many enthusiasms, she said. "He enjoyed partying, dressed up to the nines. He loved his bling and ting. What a smile he had. It used to take over the whole of his face."

Martin said Duggan was en route in a cab to see his children and spoke to his fiancee at 4.30pm. He died less than two hours later.

He was "asking if his dinner was ready. That was the last time he spoke to her."

The day began with friends and relatives assembling at the family home. They were met by Bishop Kwaku Frimpong-Manson, who performed the internment service.

Among the relatives was his aunt Karen Hall. "I was the first person to see him come into this world. Mark would have known that he isn't Al Capone. He is just an average guy. He wouldn't have tried to fire on police," she said.

Bishop Frimpong-Manson said he knew Mark from childhood. "He was like my son and I was angry when I read what was being said about him, because it was just wrong. I know some youths get in trouble. No one is perfect. But he was just a normal guy. I came to see the family and they said: 'No one is talking to us about what happened to Mark.' Who would be happy to lose a child and find that no one is talking to you?" he said.

As mourners prepared to set off from the house, the bishop called them to stand on the pavement beside the wooden carriage, which was drawn by four white horses with plumes. Around 60 did so.

"We come to stretch our hands towards the casket and thank God for Mark's life as he begins his heavenly journey."

He urged the mourners to stretch their arms towards the carriage as he prayed. Duggan's mother, Pam, wept, supported by a relative.

The cortege swelled at Broadwater Farm as people emerged from homes and offices. The horse-drawn carriage stopped near the block Duggan lived in as a child. Again mourners were implored to stretch their hands towards it. A few stepped forward to tap on the carriage.

One hit the hardest. "He was a loveable rogue but we loved him," he said.

Among the mourners were the relatives of Cynthia Jarrett, whose death sparked the Broadwater Farm disturbances in 1985; of Colin Roach, who died in Stoke Newington police station, north London; and of Sean Rigg, who died while in the custody of police in Brixton, south London.

Another there to "show solidarity" was Winston Silcott, who was wrongly imprisoned for the murder of PC Keith Blakelock during the 1985 riots.

The IPCC is still investigating the 12 August shooting. It has said a non-police-issue firearm was recovered from the scene.

Reports suggest that Duggan was carrying the converted replica in a sock. But the family say there is no proof of that, and say they've been told that no fingerprints were found on the firearm.

    Mark Duggan's funeral cortege joined by 1,000 mourners, NYT, 9.9.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/09/mark-duggan-funeral-community-unites

Teenager stabbed in same spot as conker-death student

Fifteen-year-old in serious condition
after being attacked in road
where Steven Grisales was killed after a row with youths

Thursday 8 September 2011
Guardian.co.uk
Alexandra Topping
11.04 BST
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 11.04 BST on Thursday 8 September 2011. It was last modified at 15.23 BST on Thursday 8 September 2011.

A 15-year-old boy is in hospital in a serious condition after being stabbed in the same place that Steven Grisales was killed after remonstrating with conker-throwing youths, Scotland Yard said.

Police were called to College Close in Edmonton, north London at 6.50pm – almost exactly the same time that 21-year-old Steven Grisales was stabbed last Wednesday. The boy was taken to hospital in an air ambulance. Two males have been arrested in connection with the stabbing.

In a second, unconnected incident in nearby Victoria Road, Edmonton, a man in his 50s was also taken to hospital with stab wounds on Wednesday.

Following the two incidents, and the stabbing of Grisales, Enfield's borough commander, Chief Superintendent Dave Tucker, said: "Our officers are working hard to piece together what happened last night and trace those responsible."

He added: "We retain an open mind regarding a possible link between the murder of Steven Grisales and the incident in College Close."

Steven Grisales was allegedly stabbed to death on Wednesday 31 August as he made his way to Silver Street railway station in Edmonton after running a shopping errand for his grandmother. He died the following day.

A 15-year-old boy appeared before Enfield magistrates on Wednesday charged with his murder.

Mr Grisales, who aspired to become an architect, died after receiving a single stab wound to the heart. The student, who was born in the UK to Colombian parents, had been studying in Argentina but arrived home on 5 August to take up a scholarship at Westminster College, which was due to begin on the day he died.

Gun and knife crime in the Edmonton area, parts of which erupted into violence during the London riots, was among the most serious in the capital, said campaigners.

Witnesses to the Grisales stabbing are asked to call the incident room on 0208 721 4961 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    Teenager stabbed in same spot as conker-death student, G, 8.9.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/08/teenager-stabbed-conker-steven-grisales

Man shot dead in Liverpool street

Merseyside police appeal for witnesses
after 25-year-old found with fatal gunshot wound to head

Guardian.co.uk
Helen Carter
Wednesday 31 August 2011
08.52 BST
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 08.52 BST on Wednesday 31 August 2011. It was last modified at 09.51 BST on Wednesday 31 August 2011.

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was gunned down in a Liverpool street.

The 25-year-old victim, who has not been formally identified, was found by police in Brayfield Road, Anfield,at about 10.10pm on Tuesday.

Officers were called to the area after reports of gunshots, with one witness seeing a group of men acting suspiciously.

Merseyside police said the victim died from a single gunshot wound to his head.

Forensic examinations are taking place at the scene. A Ford Mondeo recovered nearby is being studied.

Police are also carrying out house-to-house inquiries and examining CCTV from shops and businesses.

A police spokeswoman said officers were keeping an open mind about the motive.

She added: "The circumstances of his death are now being investigated by the force's major incident team and detectives are appealing for anyone in the Brayfield Road area who saw or heard anything suspicious last night to contact police.

"The victim's family have been notified and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers."

    Man shot dead in Liverpool street, G, 31.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/31/man-shot-dead-liverpool-street

Revealed:

the full picture of sentences handed down to rioters

Exclusive: Guardian data confirms courts opt for tougher punishments,
and shows the demographic of those charged

Data: the full list of cases and convictions so far

Thursday 18 August 2011
21.23 BST
Guardian.co.uk
Alan Travis and Simon Rogers
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 21.23 BST on Thursday 18 August 2011. A version appeared on p1 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Friday 19 August 2011. It was last modified at 01.11 BST on Friday 19 August 2011.

The courts are handing down prison sentences to convicted rioters that are on average 25% longer than normal, according to an exclusive Guardian analysis of 1,000 riot-related cases dealt with so far by magistrates.

The data proves for the first time that the handful of high-profile individual cases – including a four-year sentence for inciting disorder on Facebook – are indicative of a more punitive general trend.

This unprecedented access to national court results reveals that 70% of defendants have been remanded in custody to await crown court trial, fuelling a surge in the prison population, which reached a record high of 86,608 in England and Wales. The Guardian's data also shows that 56 defendants of the 80 who have already been sentenced by magistrates were given immediate prison terms. This 70% rate of imprisonment compares with a "normal" rate of just 2% in magistrates courts.

More than half those imprisoned were charged with theft or handling stolen goods, receiving an average of 5.1 months. This is 25% longer than the average custodial sentence for these crimes of 4.1 months seen in courts during 2010, according to Ministry of Justice statistics. Public order offences are leading to sentences 33% longer than normal and those convicted of assaulting police officers have been jailed for 40% longer than usual.

The results reflect the limited sentencing powers of the magistrates courts, which cannot pass a sentence of more than six months for an individual offence. The Guardian analysis shows that the average prison sentence handed out by the magistrates to rioters so far is five months. This is double the usual prison sentence in the magistrates courts of 2.5 months, but that average includes many other more minor offences, including motoring offences.

Prison governors said that the huge 677-strong rise in jail numbers over the last week sparked by this more punitive approach had pitched the prison system into "an unprecedented situation". Emergency measures had been agreed with Prison Service chiefs in case the rapid rise in inmate numbers continued unabated over the next fortnight.

The Prison Governors Association said medium- to long-term measures included opening enough new and refurbished jail accommodation to avoid the normal emergency measure of using police cells.

The governors said they were confident the situation could be managed safely.

The record prison numbers are putting jails and young offender institutions under increasing pressure: there are only 1,485 spare places in the system before prison governors have to put out the "jail full" signs.

Prison Service chiefs are expected to outline the contingency measures , including increased overcrowding by doubling and even trebling inmates in cells designed for single occupation.

Prison governors had already warned that the riots had put further strains on a stretched prison system, with inmates moved out of London and Manchester to create space for rioters jailed or remanded in custody awaiting trial.

The Ministry of Justice said that its latest figures, up to noon on Wednesday, showed 1,297 people had appeared before magistrates charged with riot-related offences. A total of 772 had been remanded in custody, compared with the "normal" remand rate for serious offences of 10%.

"This is causing massive problems for prisons," said Harry Fletcher, of Napo, the probation officers' union. "There are so many of them coming through the system, it is causing considerable problems. When people are being held so far from home it causes real difficulties for their families." He said Nottingham jail alone had been sent a group of 30 prisoners from London this week.

The total prison population on Friday last week stood at 85,931, which included 607 immigration detainees. As space runs out so the potential for work, education or rehabilitation will be "zero", claims Fletcher.

The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, will be hoping that the developing pressures on the prison system are purely temporary, otherwise they have the capacity to derail his plans to stabilise the jail population and bring in his "rehabilitation revolution". The normal pressure valve for the prison system when it comes close to capacity is Operation Safeguard, which involves emergency use of police cells to house prisoners. But that option is now closed off as forces stay prepared for any further disturbances.

In the medium term the Prison Service may be able to add portable accommodation within existing jails, and no doubt in the longer term the prospect of a new prison ship could be raised. The service has already announced plans to close two small jails, Latchmere House in London and Brockhill prison, at Redditch, Worcestershire, next month. One option could be to postpone these closures.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said that there were enough places for those being sent to prison, including in young offender institutions, following the riots: "There is substantial capacity in the prison system. We will provide prison places for those committed to custody by the courts. We are developing contingencies should exceptional pressure be placed on the prison estate."

    Revealed: the full picture of sentences handed down to rioters, G, 18.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/18/full-picture-of-riot-sentences

Wrong Answers in Britain

August 17, 2011
Tjhe New York Times

Nothing can justify or excuse the terrifying wave of violent lawlessness that swept through London and other British cities earlier this month. Hardworking people in struggling neighborhoods were its principal victims. Public support for racial and ethnic coexistence also suffered a damaging, and we fear lasting, blow.

The perpetrators must be punished, the police must improve their riot control techniques, and Prime Minister David Cameron’s government must do all it can to make such episodes less likely in the future. We are more confident about the first two happening than the third.

Mr. Cameron, a product of Britain’s upper classes and schools, has blamed the looting and burning on a compound of national moral decline, bad parenting and perverse inner-city subcultures.

Would he find similar blame — this time in the culture of the well housed and well off — for Britain’s recent tabloid phone hacking scandals or the egregious abuse of expense accounts by members of Parliament?

Crimes are crimes whoever commits them. And the duty of government is to protect the law-abiding, not to engage in simplistic and divisive moralizing that fails to distinguish between criminals, victims and helpless relatives and bystanders.

The thousands who were arrested last week for looting and for more violent crimes should face the penalties that are prescribed by law. But Mr. Cameron is not content to stop there. He talks about cutting off government benefits even to minor offenders and evicting them — and, in a repellent form of collective punishment, perhaps their families, too — from the publicly supported housing in which one of every six Britons lives.

He has also called for blocking access to social networks like Twitter during future outbreaks. And he has cheered on the excessive sentences some judges have been handing out for even minor offenses.

Such draconian proposals often win public applause in the traumatized aftermath of riots. But Mr. Cameron, and his Liberal Democrat coalition partners, should know better. They risk long-term damage to Britain’s already fraying social compact.

Making poor people poorer will not make them less likely to steal. Making them, or their families, homeless will not promote respect for the law. Trying to shut down the Internet in neighborhoods would be an appalling violation of civil liberties and a threat to public safety, denying vital real-time information to frightened residents.

Britain’s urban wastelands need constructive attention from the Cameron government, not just punishment. His government’s wrongheaded austerity policies have meant fewer public sector jobs and social services. Even police strength is scheduled to be cut. The poor are generally more dependent on government than the affluent, so they have been hit the hardest.

What Britain’s sputtering economy really needs is short-term stimulus, not more budget cutting. Unfortunately, there is no sign that Mr. Cameron has figured that out. But, at a minimum, burdens need to be more fairly shared between rich and poor — not as a reward to anyone, but because it is right.

Fair play is one traditional British value we have always admired. And one we fear is increasingly at risk.

    Wrong Answers in Britain, NYT, 17.8.2011,
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/opinion/wrong-answers-in-britain.html

Riots: magistrates advised to 'disregard normal sentencing'

Cases which usually would be dealt with by magistrates courts
could now be referred to crown court for tougher sentences

Monday 15 August 2011
19.53 BST
Guardian.co.uk
Owen Bowcott and Stephen Bates
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 19.53 BST on Monday 15 August 2011. A version appeared on p7 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Tuesday 16 August 2011. It was last modified at 00.58 BST
on Tuesday 16 August 2011.

Magistrates are being advised by the courts service to disregard normal sentencing guidelines when dealing with those convicted of offences committed in the context of last week's riots.

The advice, given in open court by justices' clerks, will result in cases that would usually be disposed of in magistrates courts being referred to the crown court for more severe punishment.

It may explain why some of those convicted have received punitive sentences for offences that might normally attract a far shorter term.

In Manchester a mother of two, Ursula Nevin, was jailed for five months for receiving a pair of shorts given to her after they had been looted from a city centre store. In Brixton, south London, a 23-year-old student was jailed for six months for stealing £3.50 worth of water bottles from a supermarket.

The Crown Prosecution Service also issued guidance to prosecutors on Monday, effectively calling for juveniles found guilty of riot-related crimes to be named and shamed. Those dealt with in youth courts are normally not identified. The youngest suspects bought before the courts last week in connection with the riots were an 11-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy.

The sentencing advice from Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service came to light after the chair of Camberwell Green magistrates court, Novello Noades, claimed that the court had been given a government "directive" that anyone involved in the rioting be given a custodial sentence. She later retracted her statement and said she was mortified to have used the term "directive".

Clarifying what had occurred, HMCTS explained that a senior clerk had circulated instructions to court clerks that they should advise magistrates to consider disregarding normal sentencing guidelines.

"Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary," it said. "Under the Criminal Procedure Rules justices' clerks and legal advisers in magistrates courts have a responsibility to give advice to magistrates on sentencing guidelines.

"All advice is given in open court and the parties are entitled to comment. Accordingly magistrates in London are being advised by their legal advisers to consider whether their powers of punishment are sufficient in dealing with some cases arising from the recent disorder.

"Magistrates are independent and not subject to direction from their legal advisers."

The advice was issued last week in the aftermath of the riots. It was given, it is said, to ensure consistency of sentencing across the country. Courts can therefore consider the riots as an aggravating factor in any offence, making stealing from looted shops more serious than conventional shoplifting.

Last week David Cameron told the recalled House of Commons that anyone involved in violent disorder should expect to go to prison. The Ministry of Justice denied that it had asked the HMCTS to issue the advice.

The Judicial Communications Office, which issues statements on behalf of judges, also dismissed suggestions it had been involved. "The senior judiciary has given no directive in relation to sentencing for offences committed during the recent widespread public disorder," it said.

"When passing sentences judges consider many factors, including the punishment of offenders, the reduction of crime by deterrence, and the need to protect the public."

Magistrates can only sentence offenders to up to six months in prison for a single offence. The chairman of the Magistrates' Association, John Thornhill, has been pressing the government to raise the maximum sentencing power of magistrates to 12 months.

"Many of these cases would have been dealt with more expeditiously and cheaper if we had the 12-month sentencing powers," Thornhill said. "They would not have needed to be sent to the crown courts."

In its advice on identifying youths, the CPS said: "We have issued guidance to prosecutors that states they should ask the court to lift the anonymity of a youth defendant when they believe it is required in the public interest that the youth be identified. Legislation permits the court to do so after conviction. These representations will be made on a case-by-case basis."

Among the criteria the court should consider when identifying any juvenile is whether the move is "necessary, proportionate and there must be a pressing social need for it".

Among those appearing before City of Westminster magistrates court on Monday was Wilson Unses Garcia, 42, of Walworth, south London. He was jailed for six months for receiving stolen property: two tennis racquets worth £340 looted from a sports shop in south London. When police searched his property they found the racquets still in wrapping and with price labels on them.

Garcia said he had had the racquets for some time. Police said he later told them: "I knew it was not right the minute they put them into my hand."

His solicitor told the court that Garcia, who pleaded guilty, had not participated in looting, did not agree with the rioting and had accepted the racquets from a man he knew only from his first name as payment of a £20 debt.A pregnant woman accused of hoarding £10,000 of electronic equipment looted during the London riots has been remanded in custody ahead of her trial.

Alicia Wilkinson, 22, was discovered with a vast amount of stolen guitars, televisions and hair braiding equipment when police raided her home in Outram Road, Croydon, at the weekend.

The Gatwick airport worker, who is due to give birth in four months, was denied bail after pleading not guilty to handling stolen goods at Croydon magistrates court.

Robert Simpson, prosecuting, told the court the flat was "noticeably packed" with the equipment, much of which had been looted from Croydon electronics store Richer Sounds at the peak of the chaos on 8 August.

Wilkinson claims she returned from housesitting for her mother to find the flat she shares with boyfriend Nick Cuffy and his brother Neil was full of the haul, the court heard.

Her defence solicitor told district judge Robert Hunter she was a "highly unlikely defendant", adding it had "played on her mind ever since then about the right course of action to take".

    Riots: magistrates advised to 'disregard normal sentencing', G, 15.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/15/riots-magistrates-sentencing

Who are the rioters?

Young men from poor areas ... but that's not the full story

The crowds involved in violence and looting
are drawn from a complex mix of social and racial backgrounds

The Guardian
Wednesday 10 August 2011
Paul Lewis and James Harkin
This article appeared on p6 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was published on guardian.co.uk at 01.51 BST on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was last modified at 11.21 BST on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was first published at 21.42 BST on Tuesday 9 August 2011.

The crowd gathered outside Chalk Farm tube station at 1am on Tuesday morning was representative of those who had been at the frontline of other riots over the previous 72 hours.

Anyone who has witnessed the disturbances up close will know there is no simple answer to the question: who are the rioters? Attempts to use simple categorisations to describe the looters belies the complex make-up of those who have been participating.

Some who have been victims of the looting resent attempts to rationalise or give meaning to what they perceive as the mindless thuggery of an "underclass". Others want an explanation of who has been taking part – and why.

In the broadest sense, most of those involved have been young men from poor areas. But the generalisation cannot go much further than that. It can't be said that they are largely from one racial group. Both young men and women have joined in.

Take events in Chalk Farm, north London. First the streets contained people of all backgrounds sprinting off with bicycles looted from Evans Cycles. Three Asian men in their 40s, guarding a newsagent, discussed whether they should also take advantage of the apparent suspension of law.

"If we go for it now, we can get a bike," said one. "Don't do it," said another. Others were not so reticent; a white woman and a man emerged carrying a bike each. A young black teenager, aged about 14, came out smiling, carrying another bike, only for it be snatched from him by an older man.

They were just some of the crowd of about 100 who had gathered on the corner; a mix of the curious and angry, young and old. It was impossible to distinguish between thieves, bystanders and those who simply wanted to cause damage.

A group of about 20 youths were wielding scaffolding poles taken from a nearby building site. They used their makeshift weapons, along with bricks and stolen bottles of wine, to intermittently attack passing motorists or smash bus shelters. A man in a slim suit stood on the corner recording the violence on his mobile phone.

Most of those he was filming had covered their faces. One had a full balaclava with holes cut out only for the eyes and mouth. "Is that you, bruv?" an older man, aged about 30, hands in pockets, asked the man in the balaclava. Recognising his friend, he laughed and added: "Fuck. Don't stand near me – you're going to get me arrested."

Seconds later there was a smash as the minicab office around the corner was broken into. Teenagers swarmed in, shouting: "Bwap, bwap, bwap."

The arrival of a line of riot police from Camden, where a branch of Sainsbury's and clothing stores had been looted an hour earlier, signalled it was time for everyone to move on.

But there was no rush; the group knew from experience that police would hold back for the time being. "Keep an eye on the Feds, man," said one youth.

Overheard snippets of conversation gave an insight into how the disparate groups were deciding where to go.

One man said: "Hampstead, bruv. Let's go rob Hampstead." Another, looking at his BlackBerry, said: "Kilburn, it's happening in Kilburn and Holloway." A third added: "The whole country is burning, man."

And as multi-ethnic areas from London to Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol burned, a myth was being dispelled: that so-called "black youths" are largely behind such violence.

In Tottenham on Saturday many of those who gathered at the police station to protest against the shooting of Mark Duggan were, like him, black. But others were Asian and white.

By the following day, as the looting spread to other north London suburbs, there appeared to have been a slight shift in the demographic, which started to look younger. In Enfield most of those who gathered in the town centre were white. The youngest looked about 10-years-old.

Those taking part in the battles in Hackney's Pembury estate on Monday included many women. Teenage girls helped carry debris to form the burning barricades or made piles of rocks.

One, with a yellow scarf across her face, was seemingly at the forefront. She helped set a motorbike alight, walking away with her hands aloft. Other women shouted instructions from the windows of nearby flats and houses.

"Croydon is burning down," shouted one woman who looked about 40, from her flat above a shop. Another warned the crowd when police were spotted nearby.

The mix was visible around the same time several miles south, near Peckham High Street. The fact that many youths covered their faces with masks made identifying them almost impossible.

A few young men sculpted impromptu masks out of stolen pharmacy bags, making them resemble members of the youth wing of the Ku Klux Klan. An older girl with them reached into a bag and pulled out a giant bag of Haribo sweets. The atmosphere was akin to a school sports day or a visit to a rowdy open-air cinema.

A few of them tried in vain to start a fire. The girl handing out sweets said: "Why don't they do the hair shop, have you seen the products they keep in the back?"

When another group finished ransacking a pawnbroker's and started cleaning out a local fashion boutique, an angry young black woman berated one of them. "You're taking the piss, man. That woman hand-stitches everything, she's built that shop up from nothing. It's like stealing from your mum."

A girl holding a looted wedding dress smiled sheepishly, stuck for anything to say.

Jay Kast, 24, a youth worker from East Ham who has witnessed rioting across London over the last three nights, said he was concerned that black community leaders were wrongly identifying a problem "within".

"I've seen Turkish boys, I've seen Asian boys, I've seen grown white men," he said. "They're all out there taking part." He recognised an element of opportunism in the mass looting but said an underlying cause was that many young people felt "trapped in the system". "They're disconnected from the community and they just don't care," he said.

In some senses the rioting has been unifying a cross-section of deprived young men who identify with each other, he added.

Kast gave the example of how territorial markers which would usually delineate young people's residential areas – known as 'endz', 'bits' and 'gates' – appear to have melted away.

"On a normal day it wouldn't be allowed – going in to someone else's area. A lot of them, on a normal day, wouldn't know each other and they might be fighting," Kast said.

"Now they can go wherever they want. They're recognising themselves from the people they see on the TV [rioting]. This is bringing them together."

A late evening walk down the Walworth Road revealed that the Argos and various electrical stores had been smashed up. Police were sealing off banks and retail outlets with tape. A platoon of youths came in from Peckham in the early evening, a man still sweeping up the remains of his shop window said. They cordoned off the road before they began looting, which suggests some level of criminal organisation.

A middle-aged African-Caribbean man explained that some young people were targeting Asian and Afghani shops, the result of petty local disagreements. And there's no denying that a small minority are simply out to hurt people. A Chinese student, the same man said, had been set upon by a gang and beaten quite badly, simply for taking a picture.

All the same, there's more than brute criminality here. When incidents like this happen the authorities are fond of saying that troublemakers have been bussed in from outside.

But there's none of that here. Neither is there any sign of the anti-globalisation or anarchist crowds.

This is unadulterated, indigenous anger and ennui. It's a provocation, a test of will and a hamfisted two-finger salute to the authorities.

•This article was amended on 10 August 2011 to remove a reference to Afro-Caribbean in contravention of Guardian style. This has been corrected.

 

Additional reporting by Mustafa Khalili

    Who are the rioters?, G, 10.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/london-riots-who-took-part

UK riots: More than 1,000 being hauled before courts

London quieter overnight
but looting and fires in Birmingham, Manchester and elsewhere
as police tackle marauding gangs

Wednesday 10 August 2011
11.32 BST
Guardian.co.uk
James Meikle and Sam Jones
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 11.32 BST on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was last modified at 11.33 BST on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was first published at 08.50 BST on Wednesday 10 August 2011.

Extra courts are being set up to deal with criminal charges from four nights of looting and rioting in English cities.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in centres including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Leicester.

The Metropolitan police arrested 81 people on Tuesday night in the capital, where it was much quieter with 16,000 police officers from forces around the country on the streets.

Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham bore the brunt of the latest rioting and looting, with trouble also erupting in Liverpool, Salford, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Bristol and Gloucester.

In Birmingham a murder inquiry is under way after three British Asian men were killed by a car in a suspected hit-and-run. Police have not established whether there was any direct link to disturbances in the city apart from the sheer numbers on the streets.

In Manchester police warned looters: "We are coming for you" and in London a senior police officer said vigilante groups set up to protect shops and homes were hampering police operations.

There were reports of people seeking to prevent looting in suburbs including Enfield and Eltham, where there were supporters of the English Defence League present, and Southall, where Sikhs protected their temple.

The Met's deputy assistant commissioner Steve Kavanagh told Sky News: "These are small pockets of people. They're frustrated, they're angry and that's totally understandable. But the support that we need is to allow those officers to prevent looting and prevent crime. The sadness of those images through the night and the night before last will affect everyone.

"Ironically, when you see those images with no police available, the police are now having to go and do the vigilantes as well as the other problems that they've got. That needs to stop."

Downing Street slapped down an appeal from the London mayor, Boris Johnson, to think again about cutting police numbers following the urban unrest. It said cuts had to be made to deal with the UK's deficit.

David Cameron, the prime minister, chaired another meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday to discuss the continuing unrest.

In Manchester groups of young people repeatedly evaded police from the late afternoon onwards, breaking into upmarket shops and setting a branch of the Miss Selfridge clothing chain on fire. As evening fell up to 200 youths raided an off-licence and other shops in the main shopping precinct of Salford, a couple of miles to the west.

The violence ebbed in Manchester city centre around midnight and police regained control.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan of Greater Manchester police criticised "unprecendented" criminality and on Wednesday warned: "Hundreds and hundreds of people, we have your image, we have your face, we have your acts of wanton criminality on film."

"We are coming for you from today, and no matter how long it takes we will arrest those people responsible."

Nazir Afzal, chief crown prosecutor in the north-west of England, said: "Prosecutors have been working with police to prepare for just such an outcome, and charging those who committed crimes during the disorder last night is our top priority.

"We have arranged for increased capacity in the courts to deal with these cases and will seek remands in custody wherever appropriate.

"We are also advising on the charging of those caught in possession of property that was stolen. Anyone who handles stolen property is just as guilty of an offence as those who steal in the first place."

Greater Manchester police said they had arrested more than 110 people overnight, while West Midlands police arrested 109 people following scenes of disorder in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich.

Shops including a branch of Marks & Spencer and a hi-fi store were again targeted in Birmingham with reports of a gun being fired, while there were reports of large groups of people in West Bromwich town centre and vehicles being set on fire.

Police in Wolverhampton responded to reports of a large group of people in the city centre after shops were damaged.

In Nottingham a police station and college were firebombed with more than 90 people arrested, while in Leicester officers arrested 13 people following disturbances in the city centre.

Thames Valley police made 15 arrests linked to trouble overnight, including five people who were held in Milton Keynes for alleged criminal damage and public order offences.

The Metropolitan police said 81 arrests were made across the capital overnight, including 20 men who were detained in Harlesden.

Scotland Yard confirmed a fire involving a number of vehicles broke out on an industrial estate in Tottenham and its cause was being treated as unexplained.

The force said a 21-year-old man had been arrested in connection with a large fire that destroyed a furniture store in Croydon on Monday.

On Wednesday night, businesses and shops across London had shut down early in a bid to avoid attack from the gangs of youths who ransacked buildings across the city over the previous days.

There was trouble in the south-west of England with police coming under attack from gangs of youths. Mounted officers were sent to combat groups of youths, some with their faces covered, who were smashing shop windows in Gloucester city centre overnight, while a fire broke out in the Brunswick area. Gloucestershire police said nine arrests were made.

In Bristol police arrested 19 people following a second night of trouble.

There were small outbreaks of disorder reported by Thames Valley police in Reading, Oxford and Milton Keynes, while 200 missile-throwing youths gathered in the south Liverpool area of Toxteth, causing disorder and damage, according to Merseyside police. The force said 35 arrests were made.

More than 1,100 people have been arrested since the violence erupted in London on Saturday night – 768 of them in the capital alone.

Parliament will be recalled for a day on Thursday to discuss the situation.

    UK riots: More than 1,000 being hauled before courts; G, 10.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/10/london-riots-spark-copycat-birmingham

Nottingham police station firebombed

as violence hits more UK cities

At least eight people arrested in connection with attack
– while disturbances flare up in Liverpool, Leicester, Bristol and Leeds

The Guardian,
Wednesday 10 August 2011
Martin Wainwright, Helen Clifton, James Beal and Jessica Shepherd
This article appeared in the Guardian on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was published on guardian.co.uk at 01.57 BST on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was last modified at 01.59 BST on Wednesday 10 August 2011.

A police station in Nottingham was firebombed on Tuesday night as violence also hit Liverpool, Leicester, Bristol and Leeds.

Canning Circus police station in Nottingham was attacked by a gang of 30 to 40 men but no injuries were reported, according to Nottinghamshire police. The force said at least eight people were arrested in connection with the attack.

Around the same time, a number of cars were firebombed at a car lot in Carlton Road in the city.

The violence followed the arrest of 10 youths earlier in the evening after a small group of people got on to the roof of one of the buildings at Nottingham High School. In another incident two men, aged 17 and 18, were arrested after rocks were thrown at Bulwell Police Station in the city.

Between 6pm on Monday and 1am on Wednesday, police said they dealt with "well over 1,000" reports of incidents taking place throughout the city and elsewhere, and more than 70 arrests were made. Fires were set in various different locations and police said they had investigated reports that children had been setting trees alight.

Smithdown Road in Toxteth in Liverpool was closed by police after 200 rioters started hurling missiles at officers at about 11.30pm. A Merseyside police spokesman said the youths were "causing disorder and damage" and asked local people to avoid the area. She was unable to confirm reports that firebombs were being thrown.

Police and firefighters were called to reports of vehicles on fire in Birkenhead, while the town centre also saw damage to shops and pubs, with at least one pub set on fire. No-one was inside at the time.

Some 35 arrests were made on Merseyside in connection with the disorder.

A number of blazes were started by people rioting at a young offenders' institution in Bristol, the local fire service said. Up to 10 teenagers at Ashfield set fire to rubbish in one of the wings at about 7.50pm.

It took members of staff about 50 minutes to extinguish the flames, according to Avon Fire and Rescue Service, who were put on standby in case they worsened. "About seven to 10 people were involved in a riot," a spokesman said. "The prison staff are now dealing with the perpetrators." The fires were said to be small, with the level of damage done unclear.

Some 400 young males aged between 15 and 18 are held at Ashfield after being sentenced in courts across the South West, Wales, the Midlands and the London area.

Meanwhile a gang passing through Chapeltown in Leeds threw stones at cars parked outside the Central Jamia Mosque. A senior member of staff at the mosque, who gave his name as Ali, described the culprits as a large group of rioters.

Leicestershire police said on their Twitter account that their officers were dealing with a group of youths in Leicester city centre.

The violence has been spreading outside of London since Monday night. Police in Liverpool were pelted with missiles and cars were torched on Monday, while looters in Bristol targeted jewellery shops and set a gas main on fire. There has been sporadic trouble in Leeds

In Liverpool, disturbances began shortly after midnight on Monday as pub and restaurant windows were shattered with stones, showering late-night drinkers and diners with glass . Several hundred people, some as young as 10, roamed High Park Street attacking buildings and cars at random before looting a Tesco Express, smashing police station windows and setting a police van on fire.

Cars and wheelie bins were set alight on a trail of destruction that stretched from the city centre to the Toxteth, Dingle and Wavertree areas.

    Nottingham police station firebombed as violence hits more UK cities, G, 10.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/10/nottingham-police-station-firebomb-arrests

UK riots could cost taxpayer £100m

Insurance bill for riot damage to shops and homes
to be paid for by police authorities under 1886 act

Tuesday 9 August 2011
18.04 BST
Guardian.co.uk
Alex Hawkes, Juliette Garside and Julia Kollewe
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 18.04 BST on Tuesday 9 August 2011. A version appeared on p10 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Wednesday 10 August 2011. It was last modified at 19.28 BST on Tuesday 9 August 2011.

Taxpayers could face a £100m bill for the riots in London and across the UK, with police authorities facing the prospect of picking up insurance costs for damage to property across the country.

Retailers and homeowners were contacting insurers on Tuesday over the huge damage done to their properties and businesses in three days of rioting. Shops around the capital were shutting early amid fears of further violence.

Damage to both domestic and business property is likely to be picked up by police authorities, in particular the Metropolitan police authority, under the provisions of the Riots (Damages) Act 1886, which specifies that where damage is caused by people "riotously and tumultuously assembled", local police authorities are required to compensate victims.

The Met has suggested in a statement to the Guardian that it would meet the cost from its reserves, which are funded by the taxpayer.

"No specific fund is maintained by the Metropolitan police authority to cover claims against such contingencies but we maintain general reserves to cover unexpected events. Such risks cannot be insured against," a Met spokesman said.

The bill could run to more than £100m, according to provisional estimates of insurance claims arising from the unrest. The Met authority's reserves stood at £70.6m at the end of March, the 2010/11 accounts show.

Nick Starling, the director of general insurance and health at the Association of British Insurers, said: "It is too early for us to have an accurate picture of total costs, especially business interruption costs, but insurers are expecting significant losses, of well over £100m."

Liability for riot damages is a contentious issue. The Association of Police Authorities (APA) and the Commons home affairs select committee have both called for it to be reviewed.

Bedfordshire police was sued for £42m over the riot at the Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre in 2002, but was insured against the cost.

Rob Garnham, chairman of the APA, said: "The potential implications of the Riot Damages Act have been of considerable concern for police authorities for a number of years. It is crucial that riot damage is quickly repaired and communities restored but in a context of cuts the public will see little sense in a shrinking police fund being diverted to pay for criminal damage."

Businesses and individuals were being urged to get claims in as soon as possible. Insurers require claims to be submitted within seven days, since they in turn have to claim on police budgets within two weeks.

Stuart White, a partner at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, said: "The good news for some of the smaller retail units that have been damaged is that even if they do not have a property insurance policy they may be able to recover the value of any damage sustained because of the rioting directly from the police.

"However the compensation under the act will not normally extend to the financial losses of the business while it is unable to trade. Trading losses are likely to be recoverable only by businesses with business interruption insurance."

The ABI urged the government to allow affected businesses more time to prepare claims. The association met the home secretary on Tuesday, suggesting an extension of the claims period from the usual 14 days to the maximum 42.

Caroline Woolley, from insurance broker Marsh, said that the losses could be much larger than figures being put out by insurers. "Any figures quoted will be in relation to insured losses, [and not include uninsured losses]."

Shops closed early and were boarded up or emptied for the night on Tuesday in Wolverhampton, Coventry and many London neighbourhoods including Lewisham, Tooting, Camden, Hackney and Croydon. In London Whiteleys shopping centre closed at 3pm.

Carphone Warehouse in Clapham High Street posted a sign saying "All stock and money removed", and the company's Birmingham store was emptied of stock. Carphone Warehouse has reported that 20 of its stores around the country have been damaged or looted.

Everything Everywhere, which runs the Orange and T-Mobile brands, saw 25 shops hit. The company was boarding up stores and calling in extra security personnel in some areas. Rioters smashed up fewer than 20 Vodafone and O2 shops.

Among the supermarkets, 16 Sainsbury's stores were attacked, and three remain closed. Morrisons reported four attacks. Tesco said a number of stores around the country were attacked and a handful had yet to reopen.

Peter Marks, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, the country's fifth largest food retailer, said: "There is no justification for this wanton and senseless violence, which has endangered people's lives and destroyed property. The safety of our staff and customers is paramount, and over 100 Co-operative branches, primarily food outlets in the London area, were temporarily closed last night (Monday) on police advice. Two members of staff were attacked during looting at one of our petrol forecourts in Streatham and staff in other locations narrowly escaped mob violence, which is completely intolerable.

"Although the vast majority of our stores have now re-opened, around a dozen remain closed due to damage incurred, including the three most seriously damaged food stores – London Road (Croydon), Hilton House (Brockley) and New Addington, which was completely destroyed by fire."

"We are liaising with the police and local authorities in each of the affected areas and, as the UK's largest community retailer, we are ready to play our part in helping affected communities to recover from these unprecedented attacks, and would urge the prime minister and the government to take firm and decisive action to quickly bring this appalling situation under control."

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "A number of our stores were closed earlier than usual yesterday as a precaution, in some cases on the advice of police. Sixteen of our stores experienced serious incidents during the disturbances last night.

"All of these stores have now reopened, except three of our convenience stores, which remain closed and will reopen as soon as possible. All our other stores are open for business as usual. As far as we are aware, no customers or store colleagues have been injured, and their safety remains our priority.

"We are assessing the situation on an hour by hour basis as the safety of our customers and store colleagues is paramount. We will continue to take advice from police and other authorities throughout the day."

A spokesman for Debenhams said the Romford store had suffered smashed windows but was open for business as usual. The Clapham store remains closed. "We don't know when it will reopen yet, the whole area is cordoned off by police. We don't know how much was taken. Thankfully no one was hurt. We are taking guidance with the police in all the areas we operate stores, and the safety of our staff is our main priority."

An Everything Everywhere spokesperson said: "We can confirm that 25 of our stores were affected, causing varying levels of property damage and some loss of stock. Most importantly, none of our team members have been hurt. We are putting additional security and safeguard measures into place in case there is further escalation of similar activities, with our top priority being the protection of our staff."

Security firms reported increased inquiries from worried businesses.A G4S spokesman said: "The current disturbances in London and other cities have resulted in an understandable increase in requests for increased security from our business customers and some disruption to our cash transportation services.

"We have been responding to requests for additional security personnel, as well as for security advice. We have also been contacting our customers to provide advice and, where needed, are helping them to develop contingency plans to deal with any incidents.

    UK riots could cost taxpayer £100m, G, 9.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/uk-riots-cost-taxpayer-100-million

Tottenham riot: Sustained looting follows night of violence

Looters use cars and shopping trolleys
to carry away stolen goods as disturbances spread to other areas of Haringey

Sunday 7 August 2011
09.05 BST
Guardian.co.uk
Paul Lewis
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 09.05 BST on Sunday 7 August 2011. It was last modified at 10.40 BST on Sunday 7 August 2011.

There were scenes of chaos in the early hours of Sunday morning as sustained looting spread from Tottenham to other nearby areas of Haringey.

By midnight police managed to secure a 200-metre stretch of the Tottenham High Road, scene of some of the worst rioting on Saturday night.

But as fire engines entered the street, and began putting out blazing cars and buildings, the rioters spread north and west through back-streets. To the north, at Tottenham Hale, Aldi supermarket was ransacked and set on fire. So too was a nearby carpet shop, causing a huge blaze.

Looters turned up with cars and shopping trolleys to carry away stolen goods. Nearby, large groups of youths congregated in the surrounding streets with sticks, bottles and hammers.

Some wore balaclava masks, preventing cars from accessing streets as buildings were broken into. Others used large rubbish bins to form burning barricades across the road.

However some of most dramatic looting took place further west, in Wood Green, and continued into the early hours of the morning.

Earlier on Saturday night two police cars, a bus and several shops had been attacked and set ablaze as violence and looting erupted following a protest demanding "justice" over a fatal police shooting.

Officers on horseback and others in riot gear clashed with hundreds of ­rioters armed with makeshift missiles in the centre of Tottenham after Mark Duggan, 29, a father of four, was killed on Thursday.

On Sunday morning police said there remained isolated incidents in the Tottenham area involving "a small number of people" and officers were still dealing with those situations. Eight officers were being treated in hospital, one with head injuries, following the violence.

But there was still no police presence at Wood Green high street at 4am, even after dozens of stores had been smashed and raided, setting of multiple alarms.

Around 100 youths sprinted around the highstreet, targeting game shops, electrical stores and high-street clothe chains such as H & M.

Glass windows were smashed and the looters, mostly young men masking their faces, swarmed in.

They emerged with handfuls of stolen goods. "I've got loads of G-Star," said one teenager, emerging from a clothes shop. Others came out clasping shopping bags stuffed with goods.

Three teenagers ran down the street with suitcases filled with stolen clothes. Around ten young men stood outside a smouldering Carphone Warehouse, the windows smashed. The theft was casual and brazen, with looters peering into broken shop windows to see if items of value remained.

There were shocking scenes in the suburban back-streets, where residential front-gardens were used to frantically sort and swap stolen goods.

A teenage boy, who looked aged around 14, drove an stolen minicab erratically down a side-street. On the adjacent street, a man who emerged from his home to find his car burnt-out remonstrated with other young men, who ran past carrying clothes.

Passersby, including people returning home in the early hours from nights out, were stunned to discover the lawless mayhem on the streets.

With no sign of any police, buses refused to take passengers through Wood Green high street, and traffic was brought to a standstill.

    Tottenham riot: Sustained looting follows night of violence, G, 7.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/07/tottenham-riot-looting-north-london

Man shot dead by police in north London

during attempted arrest

Mark Duggan died instantly at scene
as 'exchange of fire' heard with police after Trident officers stopped minicab

Friday 5 August 2011
20.16 BST
Guardian.co.uk
Sandra Laville, crime correspondent
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 20.16 BST on Friday 5 August 2011.
A version appeared on p12 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Saturday 6 August 2011. It was last modified at 00.10 BST on Saturday 6 August 2011.

A father of three died instantly after an apparent exchange of fire when police attempted to arrest him in north London, it emerged on Friday.

A police marksman escaped with his life when a bullet lodged in his radio during the confrontation that ended in the death of Mark Duggan, 29. The Scotland Yard firearms officer was taken to hospital and later released.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating the fatal shooting, said the bullet and a non-police-issue handgun found at the scene had been sent for forensic tests.

IPCC investigators believe two shots were fired by an armed officer. A spokesman for the IPCC said that at around 6.15pm on Thursday officers from Operation Trident, the Metropolitan police unit that deals with gun crime in London's black communities, with officers from the Specialist Firearms Command (CO19), stopped a minicab to carry out a pre-planned arrest.

"Shots were fired and a 29-year-old man, who was a passenger in the cab, died at the scene," said the spokesman. Photographic and forensic examination was continuing, and a search for CCTV footage was continuing, the spokesman said. A postmortem examination would be carried out as soon as possible.

IPCC commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: "Fatal shootings by the police are extremely rare and understandably raise significant community concerns."

The dead man's girlfriend, Semone Wilson, 29, said she had received a text message from him shortly before the shooting. "At about 6pm he sent out a message on his BlackBerry saying 'The Feds are following me', and that's it. That's the last time anyone heard from him."

As the IPCC appealed for witnesses, conflicting accounts of the shooting emerged. One man told the London Evening Standard he had seen officers shoot a man on the ground. But others said a shot was fired from the cab before police returned fire.

The scene was visited by David Lammy, the MP for the area, who said: "I am shocked and deeply worried by this news. There is now a mood of anxiety in the local community but everyone must remain calm. It is encouraging that the Independent Police Complaints Commission has immediately taken over the investigation. There is a need to clarify the facts and to move quickly to allay fears."

"It is very important that our community remains calm and allows the investigation to take its course."

Jay Crowned, 39, who lives locally, last night described the dead man as "a local boy who was loved by the community".

"The whole family is devastated," she said, adding that he had been feeling down since a friend was killed this year.

"His friend was like a brother and he lost him brutally. Since then he's been really down."

    Man shot dead by police in north London during attempted arrest, G, 5.8.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/05/man-shot-police-london-arrest

Three men in court charged with teenagers' murder

Three men will appear in court charged with
the murder of two teenagers shot in an alleyway in Milton Keynes

Guardian.co.uk
Press Association
Friday 8 July 2011
07.46 BST
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 07.46 BST on Friday 8 July 2011.
It was last modified at 08.13 BST on Friday 8 July 2011.

Three men will appear in court charged with the murder of two teenagers shot in an alleyway.

Yahya Harun, 20, Sharmake Abdulkadir, 20 and Fuad Awale, 23, are due at Milton Keynes magistrates court on Friday.

The men, who are all from Milton Keynes, are charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Mohammed Abdi Farah, 19, and Amin Ahmed Ismail, 18, on the town's Fishermead council estate on 26 May.

Abdulkadir has also been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

A 17-year-old boy has been released without charge.

Both victims were from the Somali community and were known to police for involvement in low-level crime.

Superintendent Rob Mason said: "I still believe there are people who have crucial information, but who have not yet come forward and spoken about it.

"I hope that the fact we have charged three people with this offence will encourage anyone who has been previously too afraid to come forward to find the courage to speak to the police.

"It is still really important that anyone who has any evidence contacts us."

 

Anyone with information in connection with the incident should contact 0845 8505 505 or Crimestoppers, where information can be given anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

    Three men in court charged with teenagers' murder, G, 8.7.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/08/teenagers-murder-men-in-court

The tragic fate of Becky Godden-Edwards

Woman identified by police investigating Sian O'Callaghan murder
was killed shortly after estrangement from family


Tuesday 5 April 2011
19.57 BST
Guardian.co.uk
Steven Morris
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 19.57 BST on Tuesday 5 April 2011. A version appeared on p1 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Wednesday 6 April 2011. It was last modified at 01.29 BST on Wednesday 6 April 2011.

They had not seen her for around eight years, but they clung to the hope that one day they would be reunited with her. Now relatives of Rebecca Godden-Edwards are trying to come to terms with the shattering news, delivered on what would have been her 29th birthday, that she was murdered shortly after she vanished from their lives.

Godden-Edwards's body was finally identified nine days after being found in a shallow grave in a farmer's field by detectives investigating the killing of another young woman, Sian O'Callaghan, who vanished after leaving a nightclub in Swindon last month. Officers are waiting to question Swindon taxi driver Chris Halliwell, who has been charged with 22-year-old O'Callaghan's murder, over Godden-Edwards's death. Meanwhile, a tragic story of how a young girl who became estranged from her family, and then simply disappeared, began to emerge.

Police sources were at pains to make it clear that Becky, as she was known to her friends, was from a good, hardworking Swindon family. By all accounts, she was a bright, bubbly schoolgirl. When she was in her mid-teens, however, family and friends say she fell in with the "wrong crowd" and began using drugs.

In May 2002, when she was 19, she broke into a pub, the historic Trout Inn in Lechlade, 12 miles from Swindon – and, coincidentally, close to where her body was found – and stole cigarettes and cash. Her lawyer told Swindon magistrates that she had been taking class A drugs since she was 15, having been introduced to them by a boyfriend. Another boyfriend had demanded that she break into the pub with him after holding a knife to her throat.

Home was a comfortable house in a leafy road on the edge of Swindon. But her life was becoming increasingly chaotic. Around a year after the burglary, Godden-Edwards vanished. Her family say they thought she had gone to Bristol, but police sources say that by this time she was "disconnected" from them.

The family attempted to find her. In 2007 they contacted the missing persons helpline and asked for help. A "vague" report was made to a police station in Wiltshire, but she was not put on the missing person's list. The family discussed hiring a private detective. And there was one red herring – a grandparent thought he had seen her two years ago. But it must have been a false sighting: she had already been dead for years.

Only last year, her mother tried to find out what had happened to her daughter by posting a message on the Missing You website: "Karen Edwards is trying to trace the location of Becky she has been missing for 8 years, and I need to contact her urgent or just to know that she is ok! can anyone help?"

The family finally came to know at least something of what happened to the young woman when a DNA match established the identity of the remains found in a field at Eastleach, Gloucestershire.

Many questions remain. A postmortem has yet to establish the cause of death and police are appealing for people who knew Godden-Edwards from 2002 onwards to come forward. They are asking people to think back in case – perhaps without realising it – they saw her being abducted or attacked.

Her family have asked to be left in peace by the media. A note pinned to the gate of the family home read: "Please respect our privacy and let us grieve in peace."

Halliwell, 47, who is being held at Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire, is due to appear at Bristol crown court for a preliminary hearing relating to O'Callaghan's murder on Friday.

Wiltshire police sources said detectives working on the murders of O'Callaghan and Godden-Edwards were continuing to liaise with other forces over unsolved killings.

Wiltshire detectives are known to have met with Avon and Somerset officers to discuss possible links with the murder of Melanie Hall, 25, who went missing after leaving a nightclub in Bath in 1996.

    The tragic fate of Becky Godden-Edwards, G, 5.4.2011,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/05/tragic-fate-becky-godden-edwards

Man arrested

after 14-year-old girl is stabbed outside school gates

West Midlands police say Chloe West
is in serious but stable condition after knife attack in Wollaston, Stourbridge

Guardian.co.uk
Friday 1 April 2011
19.17 BST
Helen Carter
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 19.17 BST on Friday 1 April 2011.
A version appeared on p14 of the Main section section of the Guardian
on Saturday 2 April 2011.
It was last modified at 01.45 BST on Saturday 2 April 2011.
 

A 14-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital after she was stabbed by a man outside a secondary school.

Chloe West suffered nine knife wounds to her upper body and face outside Ridgewood high school in Wollaston, Stourbridge, according to police in Dudley, West Midlands. Officers said her injuries were serious but that she was in a stable condition last night.

Teachers, parents and other students are believed to have subdued and sat on her attacker until police arrived.

An 18-year-old man was arrested. Police said the suspect was known to Chloe.

It was alleged that the attacker was angry because his text messages had not been returned.

The 14-year-old was airlifted to Birmingham children's hospital, north of Stourbridge, after the attack, which happened at around 8.40am.

The school was shut for the day while police investigated. A Volkswagen Golf believed to have been used by the attacker was removed from the scene.

Chloe's parents, Rosemary and Nigel West, are distraught, according to neighbours.

Praising the quick-thinking teachers, parents and students who sat on the attacker, Superintendent Stuart Johnson from West Midlands police said: "I would just like to pay tribute to the very brave individuals who, without too much thought for their own safety, intervened at the time of the incident this morning.

"They showed tremendous bravery in intervening and actually detaining the suspect. In my opinion, based on medical evidence, they clearly prevented far more serious injuries to Chloe."

Officers were at the scene within minutes of the stabbing by the main gates. Johnson said: "On arrival, they saw that there was indeed a young lady, who we since know to be a pupil at the school, with serious injuries, believed to be knife wounds.

"They also found that a young man, who we have since established does not attend the school, had been detained by members of the public here in the street."

Johnson said the injuries to Chloe's upper body and face were no longer life threatening and that she was conscious.

Wollaston councillor Margaret Cowell, who lives nearby, said: "I've lived here 50 years and in all that time I've never heard a police car go up with its sirens on."

Ridgewood's head, Clive Nutting, said: "Police were called to the school today before 8.50am after one of the pupils was attacked on their way to school."

    Man arrested after 14-year-old girl is stabbed outside school gates, G, 1.4.2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/01/man-arrested-wollaston-school-stabbing

Shooting leaves girl, 5, and man in critical condition

Girl shot in chest is believed to be London's youngest gun crime victim


Share Camilla Turner
Guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 30 March 2011
15.55 BST
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 15.55 BST
on Wednesday 30 March 2011.
It was last modified at 18.40 BST on Wednesday 30 March 2011.
It was first published at 09.41 BST on Wednesday 30 March 2011.

A five-year-old girl is in a critical condition after she and another passerby were shot during an apparent gang-related attack in a shop in south London.


The girl, believed to be London's youngest gun crime victim, was injured in the chest, and a 35-year-old man was shot in the face. The incident took place at around 9pm on Tuesday at the Stockwell Food and Wine shop in Stockwell Road, Brixton.


Police have confirmed that the two victims were not the intended targets of the shooting, which is believed to be connected to local gangs.


Just before the shots were fired, witnesses saw two black youths coming from nearby Broomgrove Road, being chased by three other black youths on bicycles.


It is understood that the three youths on bikes approached the shop, but did not enter. DCI Tony Boughton from the Met's Trident taskforce said: "The assumption is at the moment is that the firearm is fired through the open door because there is no damage on the outside."


The shop worker and child were hit as two black youths hid in the store from the other three youths who had been chasing them. As the pair hid inside, the gunman stopped at the door and opened fire indiscriminately.


The three attackers, who are thought to be aged between 14 and 17, fled as their intended targets chased them on foot from the Stockwell Road shop along Broomgrove Road and into Stockwell Park Estate.


Mareh Silva, age 34, was leaving the Stockwell Food and Wine shop with friends at around 9pm. She said she saw three black youths aged between 14 and 17 drop their bikes outside. She explained how the boys' faces were covered with black scarves and balaclavas and she could only see their eyes as they ran into the shop.


"I looked in and saw a lot of blood on the floor but I didn't want to look at what had happened, and I was very scared," she said.


DCI Boughton would not confirm if the groups were from rival gangs. He said: "I'm treating it as three young lads chasing two other young lads – we don't know any affiliations and the assumption is that they are from the local area."


The 35-year-old victim was a worker in the shop, and was not related to the five-year-old, who was at the shop visiting other relatives. The names of the two victims have not been released, but it is understood that both are of Sri Lankan origin.


They were taken to King's College hospital, where they are now in a stable but serious condition.


Barny Stutter, 45, co-owner of nearby Brixton Cycles, said workers in the area's fastfood shops often had similar trouble. "We are absolutely disgusted with what's happened," he said.

Peter Robbins, one of three Lambeth councillors who represent the area, said, "It is incredibly shocking, I think the whole community at the moment is numb and horrified.

"There is a fairly well-known problem with gangs and guns in Lambeth, it is something that the council and the police are working together incredibly hard to solve. There is always more you can do and incidents like this really bring that home."


Rachel Heywood, Lambeth's cabinet member for community safety, said she found the crime "hugely shocking".


"Tackling serious violence is a major priority for this council. We will of course do everything in our power to assist the police with their investigation. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families at what must be an extremely distressing time."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Metropolitan police on 0300 123 1212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

    Shooting leaves girl, 5, and man in critical condition, R, 30.3.2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/30/shooting-girl-man-critical-condition

Theresa May announces extra £18m to tackle knife crime

Announcement comes as report by former EastEnders actor Brooke Kinsella

calls for more action to tackle the problem, including anti-knife presentations in schools

Wednesday 2 February 2011
10.38 GMT
Guardian.co.uk
Alan Travis
Home affairs editor
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 10.38 GMT on Wednesday 2 February 2011.
It was last modified at 11.24 GMT on Wednesday 2 February 2011.

More than £18m extra is to be spent on tackling knife crime and gun and gang culture over the next two years, the home secretary, Theresa May, announced today.

She said the funding was being made available "on the back of" a report into knife crime, published today, by former EastEnders actor Brooke Kinsella, whose brother, Ben, was stabbed to death at the age of 16 three years ago.

The report by Kinsella, who was appointed as an adviser on knife crime to the home secretary last year, calls for anti-knife crime presentations in schools and more preventative work to stop teenagers getting involved in knife and gun crime and a scheme to tackle the "fear and fashion factor" of carrying knives.

"Brooke Kinsella has done a great job in highlighting what works and what could work better in trying to achieve that," the home secretary said today.

"Off the back of Brooke's recommendations, we will invest money into changing attitudes and behaviour, alongside being tough on those who persist in being involved in senseless crimes."

At the London launch of her report today, Kinsella said: "People aren't shocked any more by the stabbing of a child, and that is not right. There is no more time for talk. I really believe the problem of knife crime has escalated in the past few years, and the impact it has on communities and families is devastating."

She said local knife crime projects needed more stable funding so they could plan ahead with fewer box-ticking regulations.

The former EastEnders actor said prevention was the keyword, and schools needed to take the problem more seriously with children as young as 10 given anti-knife crime awareness lessons in schools.

Kinsella said: "While seven may be deemed too young for some of the content I experienced in the projects I visited, it seems to be the majority opinion that education and awareness needs to start at primary school level, particularly in the last year before they move up to secondary school and become more susceptible to peer pressure and influence."

There were also "gaps" in the projects available, she said, and more work to tackle knife-wielding girl gangs was also needed.

She was particularly impressed by a "Fear and Fashion project" run in London, which used workshops and games led by young people with experience of knife crime to get young people to explore and understand the reasons why they might carry a weapon.

She also said the negative portrayal of young people in the media as if they were all criminals meant it was also important to give them better things to aspire to with an awards ceremony for young people.

May, announcing the details of the extra £18m, said that at a time of tight budgets, some issues such as knife crime were too important not to fund.

The money includes £10m to prevent teenagers being sucked into knife and gun gang culture, £4m for a "communities against gangs, guns and knives' fund", and £3.75m for the worst-hit areas in London, Manchester and the West Midlands, which account for more than half of all knife crimes.

A further £1m is to be spent on developing anti-knife crime materials for schools and £250,000 will go for one further year to the Ben Kinsella fund set up in memory of Brooke's brother to help teenagers set up anti-knife crime projects.

He died in June 2008 after a fight in a bar spilled out onto the streets of Islington. Kinsella began working on the knife crime project with the Conservatives before the general election and spent July and August talking to project workers and community leaders about the problem.

At the weekend, a teenager became the UK's latest victim of knife crime when he was fatally stabbed in front of a stationary bus full of passengers in south London.

Daniel Thompson Graham, 18, was repeatedly knifed near East Dulwich railway station in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The latest crime figures show the number of incidents involving knives fell by 6% to 29,288 over the last year but showed there were 202 fatal stabbings, the same number as the year before.

    Theresa May announces extra £18m to tackle knife crime, G, 2.2.2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/feb/02/theresa-may-extra-18m-tackle-knife-crime

Vincent Tabak charged with the murder of Joanna Yeates

Dutch architectural engineer – who was arrested on Thursday –
will appear at Bristol magistrates court


Share Ben Quinn
The Observer
Sunday 23 January 2011
This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday 23 January 2011.
It was published on guardian.co.uk at 01.19 GMT on Sunday 23 January 2011.
It was last modified at 01.25 GMT on Sunday 23 January 2011.
It was first published at 21.52 GMT on Saturday 22 January 2011.

A 32-year-old neighbour of landscape architect Joanna Yeates was charged with her murder last night, Avon and Somerset police said.

Vincent Tabak, a Dutch architectural engineer who was arrested on Thursday, will appear at Bristol magistrates court tomorrow accused of killing the 25-year-old.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones, who led the inquiry, said last night: "I would like to pay tribute to Jo's family and Greg for their assistance and dignity in the most difficult of circumstances. Their support to us has been invaluable."

Joanna's father David said earlier in the day that his daughter and her boyfriend Greg Reardon had never mentioned Tabak. "Jo and Greg didn't socialise [with him]. As far as I know, their paths never crossed," he said.

Speaking from his home in Ampfield, near Romsey, Hants, Mr Yeates added: "It would be good if the person they have arrested is the right one this time, simply because then we wouldn't have to go through it all again.

"I have nothing personal against this man – I don't know him. We are just waiting now."

Tabak works in Bath for engineering company Buro Happold and moved to Bristol from Bath in 2009. Police began searching his property, which is next door to Joanna's flat in Clifton, last Thursday after setting up a tarpaulin outside it. Officers had been granted a 30-hour extension to continue questioning Tabak.

Joanna's landlord, Chris Jefferies, was arrested on 30 December last year in connection with the murder but was later released on bail.

Joanna was last seen alive on 17 December. She left the Ram pub near Bristol city centre, where she had been drinking with colleagues and walked home, stopping at three shops. After a search, her body was found on a rural roadside verge three miles away. A postmortem revealed that she had been strangled.

    Vincent Tabak charged with the murder of Joanna Yeates, O, 23.1.2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/22/vincent-tabak-charged-murder-joanna-yeates

Boy stabbed to death at London school

Police arrest man in his 30s after attack at Park View academy in Tottenham
that killed 14-year-old and injured two others

Thursday 20 January 2011
19.19 GMT
Guardian.co.uk
Vikram Dodd, crime correspondent
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 19.19 GMT on Thursday 20 January 2011. A version appeared on p17 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Friday 21 January 2011. It was last modified at 00.03 GMT on Friday 21 January 2011.

A 14-year-old boy has been stabbed to death near his school in Tottenham, north London, this afternoon.

Local people said he was one of three boys attacked after finishing school at Park View academy. All were around 14 years old and wearing school uniforms. The Metropolitan police said they had arrested a man in his 30s.

Officers were called to West Green Road at 3.45pm along with the air ambulance.
The boy died at the scene at 4.30pm.

Both survivors are in hospital – one is believed to be in serious condition.

    Boy stabbed to death at London school, G, 20.1.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/20/boy-dies-stabbing-london-school

Child sex trafficking in UK on the rise

with even younger victims targeted

White, black and Asian children at risk
with abusers using mobiles and web to groom victims, say Barnardo's

Monday 17 January 2011
The Guardian
Alexandra Topping
This article appeared on p3 of the Main section section of the Guardian
on Monday 17 January 2011.
It was published on guardian.co.uk at 00.01 GMT on Monday 17 January 2011.
It was last modified at 01.08 GMT on Monday 17 January 2011.

The trafficking of British children around UK cities for sexual exploitation is on the increase with some as young as 10 being groomed by predatory abusers, a report reveals today.

The average age of victims of such abuse has fallen from 15 to about 13 in five years, according to the report by Barnardo's, the UK's biggest children's charity.

But victims continue to be missed as telltale signs are overlooked "from the frontline of children's services to the corridors of Whitehall," said Anne Marie Carrie, the charity's new chief executive.

"Wherever we have looked for exploitation, we have found it. But the real tragedy is we believe this is just the tip of the iceberg," she said.

Calling for a minister to be put in charge of the government's response, she said: "Without a minister with overall responsibility the government response is likely to remain inadequate."

The main findings from the report, called Puppet on a String, include:

• Trafficking becoming more common and sexual exploitation more organised.

• Grooming methods becoming more sophisticated as abusers use a range of technology – mobile phones, including texts and picture messages, Bluetooth technology, and the internet – to control and abuse children.

The charity dealt with 1,098 children who had been groomed for sex last year, a 4% increase on the previous year.

A recent focus on the ethnicity of abusers risks putting more children in danger, said Carrie. "I am not going to say that ethnicity is not an issue in some geographical areas, it clearly is. But to think of it as the only determining factor is misleading and dangerous."

The issue has come under the spotlight after cases in Derby, where ringleaders of a gang of Asian men were jailed for grooming girls as young as 12 for sex, and in Rochdale, where nine mainly Asian men were arrested on Tuesday last week on suspicion of grooming a group of white teenage girls.

Carrie warned of the risk of the issue becoming dangerously simplified after comments from the former home secretary Jack Straw, who said some Pakistani men saw white girls as "easy meat".

The charity dealt with white, black and Asian victims, she said – whose voices were being lost. "Profiling and stereotyping is dangerous – we are scared that victims will say: 'I don't fit into that pattern, so I'm not being abused'."

The report identifies many different patterns of abuse, ranging from inappropriate relationships to organised networks of child trafficking.

Of Barnardo's 22 specialist services surveyed for the report, 21 had seen evidence of the trafficking of children through organised networks for sex, often with multiple men.

Among the cases highlighted is Emma, who met her first "boyfriend" when she was 14. In his 30s, he bought her presents, said he loved her, then forced her to have sex with his friends. She was shipped around the country and raped by countless men. "I got taken to flats, I don't know where they were and men would be brought to me. I was never given any names, and I don't remember their faces," she said.

The "inappropriate relationship" usually involved an older abuser with control over a child. Such cases included Sophie, who was 13 when she met her "gorgeous" 18-year-old boyfriend at a cousin's 21st birthday party. After initially treating her well, he isolated her from her family and became violent. When police rescued her, they told her the man was 34, with a criminal record for child abuse. "I said they were lying. I thought I was in love, I thought it was normal," she said.

The "boyfriend" model, sees girls groomed, often by a younger man, who passes her on to older men. In one case an Asian teenager from the north-west described being dragged out of a car by her hair by her "boyfriend", who took her to a hotel room "to have his friends over and do what they wanted to me".

Boys are also vulnerable: a 14-year-old, Tim, was groomed by one man then expected to have sex with many more. "After a while there would be three or four guys all at once. It was horrible and very scary," he said.

Abusers are increasingly using the internet and mobile phone technology to control victims. Teens are being coerced into sending, or posing for, sexually explicit photos which are then used to blackmail and control them, said Carrie. "The abuser then sells the images, and threatens to send the pictures to the girl's parents or school if she does not do x, y and z."

Often abusers target the most vulnerable: children in care, foster homes or from chaotic backgrounds. But children of all backgrounds are at risk, said Carrie.

Penny Nicholls, director of children and young people at The Children's Society, said the Barnardo's findings echoed their experiences. "We join Barnardo's in calling on the government to take urgent action, ensuring a minister has special responsibility for overseeing a countrywide response to combat sexual exploitation."

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "This is a complex problem and we are determined to tackle it effectively by working collaboratively right across government and with national and local agencies."

    Child sex trafficking in UK on the rise with even younger victims targeted, G, 17.1.2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/17/child-trafficking-uk-rise

Joanna Yeates murder police turn to Crimewatch

Planned appeal for information on BBC programme fuels
concerns that investigation has stalled

Guardian.co.uk
Saturday 8 January 2011
21.30 GMT
Mark Townsend
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 21.30 GMT
on Saturday 8 January 2011.
It was last modified at 23.14 GMT on Saturday 8 January 2011.

Detectives hunting the killer of Joanna Yeates have acknowledged that their investigation needs new stimulus and are planning an appeal for information on the BBC programme Crimewatch to be screened in an upcoming episode.

The BBC confirmed police were discussing a reconstruction of the murder for the show as Joanna's parents David, 63, and Theresa, 58, yesterday spoke of how their daughter's body had been "dumped like a piece of garbage".

The couple issued a fresh plea through Avon and Somerset Police saying that any piece of information supplied to officers, "however small or insignificant", could provide the clue to finding their daughter's killer. In an emotional and detailed statement, her parents said their lives had been "changed for ever" the day she disappeared. "It was heartbreaking being in her flat, with her missing, and seeing her Christmas tree with a little pile of presents next to it," her father said.

Their comments came as police confirmed they were pursuing new leads after retracing Joanna's last known steps on Friday night. More than 200 people were questioned at various locations around Bristol as officers followed the route 25-year-old Joanna is understood to have taken. Drivers were also stopped close to the location where her body was found on Christmas Day.

However, news that the Crimewatch programme is planning to feature the landscape architect's death has fuelled concerns that the investigation has stalled.

Joanna's parents' statement also described how they had yet fully to comprehend their loss: "We have still not come to terms with the fact that Jo will never walk through the door and say 'Hi, Mum' or 'Hi, Dad.'

"For Jo, she never had the opportunity to achieve her full potential, experience all the emotions surrounding getting married, the joy of having children, and the excitement of designing and defining a family home."

A book of condolence has been opened at Christ Church, Clifton, close to the Canynge Road flat she shared with her boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27.

Associate vicar Wayne Massey said he hoped the book would offer some small measure of comfort for Jo's friends and family.

Players from Bristol City football club warmed up ahead of their match with Sheffield Wednesday today wearing shirts showing Joanna's picture and a police contact number.

    Joanna Yeates murder police turn to Crimewatch, G, 8.1.2011,
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/08/joanna-yeates-murder-crimewatch-appeal