UK riots latest: Boy, 15, first to be charged with more serious rioting offence that carries up to 10-year jail term

A 20-year-old jailed for 30 months after climbing onto a van and throwing a brick at police in Southport was in tears while being interviewed by the probation service, his lawyer has said.

Tom Neblett, of High Park Road in Southport, threw projectiles at police as he joined a 1,000-strong group who “without any evidence or justification” attacked a nearby mosque and then police officers who gathered in response, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday.

Lloyd Morgan, defending, said: “This 20-year-old man is certainly embarrassed and ashamed. He knows he has not just let down himself but his family. His father, sister and girlfriend are here today in the public gallery and all of them are ashamed of his actions but nonetheless supportive of him.

“His pre-sentence report from the Probation Service says he is probably still immature but notes he is genuinely remorseful. He was in tears during his interview with the report author. He acknowledges what he did was inexcusable and I submit it was out of character.”

The court heard that his 30-month sentence of detention at a Young Offender Institution would be his “first taste of custody” following four previous convictions for four offences including theft and assault..

A 20-year-old who climbed on to a van and repeatedly launched projectiles at police officers in Southport has been locked up for 30 months.

Tom Neblett, aged 20, attended a vigil for the previous day’s stabbing at a dance class in which three girls were killed, but he later joined a 1,000-strong group who “without any evidence or justification” attacked a nearby mosque and then police officers who gathered in response, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Neblett threw a brick at the passenger side window of a police carrier while the driver was still inside before colleagues in riot gear removed him as he shielded his head with his hands.

He was also seen on CCTV footage at the “very forefront” of the missile throwing as he picked up a smoke flare and hurled it towards the line of officers. He later scaled a white van and repeatedly threw more bricks and pieces of paving slabs at the police carrier and officers, the court heard.

Judge Dennis Watson KC told Neblett that a pre-sentence report had shown “a different side to you, the yob who was throwing missiles repeatedly” but he added: “The effect of your actions will have been to encourage others to have been involved and do likewise. Those actions cannot be viewed in isolation and should not be underestimated.”

A man who was seen carrying a wooden stick on TV coverage of a counter-protest in Birmingham has been denied bail by a district judge.

Shehraz Sarwar, 46, is due to face trial at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 23 September after claiming he had a “reasonable excuse” to carry the item as a religious staff.

He is accused of being in possession of the stick, which had cord wrapped around it, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse at a gathering in Belchers Lane on 5 August.

Sarwar, of Wright Road in Birmingham, claims to have carried the stick locally for more than 11 years and to be a “well-known character” in the Saltley and Alum Rock areas of the city, the court heard on Thursday.

District Judge David Wain told Sarwar, who appeared at the hearing via video-link from prison, that he would not be releasing him on bail before his trial.

He said: “For now, I’m afraid you must return to your cell.” Sarwar responded: “Thank you judge.”

A Hatton Garden jeweller has been jailed for eight months after he committed racially aggravated public order offences at a demonstration near Downing Street in Whitehall last month.

Russ Cooke, 66, of Islington, told officers they would be “put to the sword” when “the Muslims … start yelling Allahu Akbar”.

A drunk Cooke had been drinking with friends in central London on 31 July when he decided to join in with the disorder and “got carried away”, Inner London Crown Court heard. He told officers they were “filthy traitors” who had been “brainwashed” and pushed a metal barrier towards them.

Cooke, whom the court heard is “deeply ashamed” of his behaviour, admitted to three racially aggravated public order offences at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Handing down his sentence, Judge Benedict Kelleher said the jeweller’s actions had been motivated by his hostility towards a particular group. “Only a custodial sentence can be justified,” Judge Kelleher added.

The decision to charge a 15-year-old boy with riot is a “surprise” that “may have far wider repercussions,” a court heard, after the teenager became the first to face the charge in the wake of the recent national disorder.

The boy, from Sunderland, had pleaded guilty to violent disorder and burglary in his home city at a hearing on Saturday and was due to be sentenced on Thursday at South Tyneside Magistrates Court.

But earlier in the day, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed they would be charging him with the more serious offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Chris Wilson, defending the teenager, told the court: “This morning I was contacted by the Crown Prosecution Service and informed that it was the intention of the prosecution to lay a charge of riot. This raises a number of complex issues.”

Mr Wilson asked for an adjournment of two weeks to discuss the evidence fully with the boy, telling the court that the situation “doesn’t sit comfortably with me, professionally or personally” as he warned: “Clearly there are complex issues, and those issues may well have far wider repercussions.”

District Judge Zoe Passfield adjourned the boy’s case until 2 September as she said the new charge must have come as a “surprise” to him.

She told the teenager: “The prosecution now want to bring a further charge of riot. It is an unusual situation when a new charge is brought after the person has pleaded guilty and it opens up complications that I and the lawyers need to consider carefully. I am sure what has happened today has come as a surprise, and will be confusing for you.”

Three people have admitted violent disorder over unrest in Plymouth, Devon, on 5 August.

Devon and Cornwall Police said Kerry Gove, 34, Andrew Ball, 49, and Grant Braidwood, 40, would be sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday.

The defendants, all of Plymouth, were remanded in custody.

Andrew Grice looks at how the prime minister needs to tackle the root causes of unrest:

A house husband has been jailed for 18 months for violent disorder for taking part in a “far-right” protest in Weymouth despite the efforts of his wife to coax him away.

Father-of-three Ian Vetier, of Weymouth, pleaded guilty to the offence at Bournemouth Crown Court in relation to the demonstration on 4 August.

Richard Tutt, prosecuting, said the 36-year-old, who was shirtless and holding a Union flag, played a “prominent” role among the “Enough is enough” group which gathered to confront a Stand Up To Racism group.

He described how police officers feared for their safety as they attempted to control the protest group who were shouting and swearing aggressively.

He said an officer “noticed two males pushing and shoving against one of the police sergeants who was then pushing back and the two males were trying to get past the cordon”.

He said: “Mr Vetier can be seen and heard shouting ‘It’s a free country mate’, and a little later he was saying words to this effect: ‘You f****** wrong ‘un, back them f****** ragheads, c**** mate, the lot of them.

“The protest group then started chanting collectively ‘Who the f*** is Allah?’

He said that Vetier then shouted in front of an officer: “You want to back them f****** lot down there, you f****** idiots, the lot of you, you are not f****** British at all, you c**** aren’t f****** British’.”

Mr Tutt said that about two hours later Vetier confronted officers in the cordon for taking photographs of his car.

He said that Vetier shouted aggressively to officers: “F****** waste of space, what’s the point, why are you taking pictures, you f****** piglet, you are f****** scum” and “other similarly charming expressions”.

Richard Martin, defending, said Vetier had shown remorse and had pledged not to attend another demonstration.

Mr Martin said: “He puts it down to getting caught up in the heat of the moment, your honour knows this was a highly emotive day, people are entitled to assemble for lawful protest, what he seems to have done is fallen foul of the hostile animus there.”

Judge William Mousley KC told the court that Vetier’s wife could be seen in video footage shown to the court trying to “coax him away”.

Mr Martin responded: “She was supportive of him but she is the one left carrying the consequences of what her husband did.”

A 15-year-old boy has become the first person to be charged with riot, a more serious offence than than violent disorder, in connection with recent unrest.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is due to appear at South Tyneside Youth Court, where he will be asked to enter a plea to the charge.

Rioting carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison – double that of a charge of violent disorder.

The boy, from Sunderland, is accused of riot following disorder in his home city on 2 August.

Gale Gilchrist, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East, said: “This defendant is one of a number of individuals who we expect will be charged with riot, and as these are live proceedings we remind all concerned that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

On Wednesday, Judge John Thackray KC, the Recorder of Hull, encouraged prosecutors to consider charging offenders who played central roles in the recent disorder in parts of the UK with rioting.

A self-styled paedophile hunter has been jailed for eight months at Leeds Crown Court after admitting racially abusing protesters who gathered for a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

Phil Hoban, 48, was a prominent figure in an anti-immigration demonstration in the centre of Leeds on Saturday 3 August, where he could be seen shouting at hundreds of rival protesters and leading the chanting.

The anti-immigration demo was part of a series across England but, despite some scuffles with police, it did not turn violent in same way as others in Hull and Liverpool on the same day.

Father-of-three Hoban is the founder of Predator Exposure, a group that carried out sting operations against men who made contact with fake profiles of teenage girls they set up online.

The group’s activities resulted in prosecutions, including that of Irish TV producer Kieran Creaven who was jailed in 2018 after he was tricked by Predator Exposure into flying from Dublin to Leeds to meet a “girl” he had groomed on Facebook with hundreds of messages.

In 2019, Hoban was one of group of six from Predator Exposure who went on trial accused offences including false imprisonment following sting operations against two men.

Hoban, of Northcote Crescent, Leeds, was jailed on Thursday after previously admitting causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.