shocking moment looting yobs shoot at police helicopter during Birmingham riots

Police have released dramatic video of yobs shooting at unarmed police on the ground and in a hovering helicopter during the height of the riots.

An attempted murder investigation has been launched after 11 shots were fired as police as they tried to control the disorder in the Birmingham suburb of Newtown late on August 9.

Officers had to duck for cover as petrol bombs were also thrown after money and alcohol was stolen from the Bartons Arms and it was set alight.

Dangerous: This footage, taken from a police helicopter, shows a masked man pointing a gun up at officers

 

Who is he? Police have released the footage in the hope members of the public will identify the suspects

The footage shows about 40 masked men all wearing dark clothing, throwing chairs onto the road to create a barricade between them and police as they smash the windows of shops.

 

 

More...

• More than 150 people caught after rioting swept across UK ¿were foreign nationals and will be deported¿
• Mother who accepted pair of shorts looted during riots is the first to go free on appeal
• Keep fighting, William and Kate tell victims rebuilding their lives in riot torn communities
• ROBERT HARDMAN: The tide finally turns: After seeing justice dispensed to a parade of rioters and looters, thugs are at last learning to fear the law

 

The crowd can then be seen running to another area, before one man holding a gun stops in the middle of the road.

He points the weapon up at the police helicopter, fires, and a puff of smoke is seen discharging as he stumbles back.

The yobs around him stand and watch.

On the hunt: Police launched an attempted murder investigation after this man, watched by dozens of other yobs, shot at police

Escape: The rioters disappeared down a side road after smashing shop windows on the High Street

The video then cuts to footage taken from inside the helicopter.

The man can be seen holding the gun up at least twice before running off.

The aircraft was not hit.

The Birmingham Mail reported that four spent 9mm bullet casings were found in the area by forensic teams the next day.

A number of bullets were understood to have been found in a nearby building and four cartridges were also found.

 

Police hope by releasing the footage members of the public will come forward with information on the identity of the offenders.

Chief Constable Chris Sims police had trawled through CCTV and conducted house-to-house enquiries.

'Releasing footage that is so disturbing in nature is an unusual step for us as a force, however the potential for serious harm, or worse, in this incident has led us to this decision.

Rioters: About 40 masked men in dark clothing gathered in the Newton suburb of Birmingham, with some throwing petrol bombs at masked police cars

 

Barricade: Chairs were thrown across the road by rioters in an attempt to create a barrier between them and police

'This footage shows seemingly coordinated criminal behaviour with no regard for people's lives, whether it be through the setting of a fire, shooting at unarmed officers or shooting at the police helicopter.

'This investigation is being treated as attempted murder and arson, and I am only thankful that this is not a murder inquiry.

'This was not only police officers' lives that were put at risk, but also members of the public who may have been passing by.

'To date the public reaction to this operation has been overwhelming and we thank people for their continued support.

Tragic: Haroon Jahan, 21, Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, were mowed down by a car while protecting their community from looters in Birmingham

Tribute: About 20,000 people gathered in Summerfield Park on Thursday for the three men killed during the height of the riots in Birmingham

'However, I must ask once again that anyone who can help our investigation to come forward.'

Birmingham has seen some of the worst violence since riots began after the police shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham on August 4.

Three men were killed trying to defend local shops in the area of Winson Green.

Haroon Jahan, 21, Shahzad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, died as a car swerved into them.

About 20,000 people gathered in Summerfield Park for their funeral on Thursday.

Nine men have been arrested in connection with their deaths.

The latest is a 28-year-old man from Winson Green on suspicion of murder.

A 33-year-old man was arrested yesterday and has since been released on police bail.

Four men - Ian Beckford, 30, Joshua Donald, 26, Adam King, 23, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named - have already been charged.

Three other males - aged 17, 23, and 32 - have been arrested and bailed pending further inquiries.

Days after the riots, Birmingham had made 330 arrests and Magistrates in Solihull have been working through the night to hear cases.

 

 

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British Airways Manager Remanded Over Alleged Cocaine Deals

It has been established that a British Airways Manager at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Eric Owusu Manu, is among cocaine suspects currently standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court.

The manager, together with the rest of the accused persons, who allegedly conspired to export nine kilogrammes (9kg) of cocaine and six parcels of cannabis sativa (marijuana) from Ghana to the United Kingdom (UK), without license from the Minister of Health, was yesterday denied bail.



The accused persons were first put before a Magistrate Court in Accra, but the state later filed 'nolle prosequi', leading to their discharge. They were, however, arrested immediately they stepped out of the court room, and put before the Circuit Court.

According to the Prosecutor, who is also a Principal State Attorney, K. Asiama-Sampong, granting the accused persons bail would be premature, and that the prosecution needs to complete its investigation on the evidence.

He said the prosecution had not yet received the report of the examination from the Ghana Standards Board, which is why it had not yet been presented before the court.

The court, presided over by Mr. Eric Kyei Baffour, indicated that the prosecution was usually allowed to do the necessary analysis before the report is brought before court, however, since the report is not due, he would still remand the accused persons in custody. They are expected to re-appear before the court on August 31, 2011.



The accused persons include Kevin Sarpong-Boateng, a travel and tours operator, Eric Owusu Manu, Manager of British Airways, Daniel Clottey, aircraft technician, Frank Bruno Kpakpo, a profiler at the KIA, Daniel Gyabaah, a businessman and car dealer.

The rest of the accused persons are Stephen Awua, Kofi Bamfo and Emmanuel Owusu, who were arrested at the Heathrow Airport in London, whilst Hubert Laryea and Mohamoud Mufuti are currently at large.

All the accused persons are facing the charge of conspiracy to commit crime, while the first, second and third accused persons are facing additional charges of exportation of drug, and two counts of abetment of exportation of cocaine. They pleaded not guilty to all the charges leveled against them.

The facts of the case indicate that between November 2010 and June 2011, the accused persons operated jointly and severally to send narcotic drugs, cocaine and 'cannabis sativa,' from Ghana to the UK on British Airways, using a shared responsibility method known as 'pushing.'



According to the Prosecutor, each of the accused persons played a specified role in the transaction from the Kotoka International Airport and on the plane to the Heathrow Airport.

"Initial investigations revealed that in October 2010, the first accused person was contracted by one Mohamoud Mufuti, currently at large, to export eight kilogrammes of cocaine from Ghana to the UK.

"Further investigations revealed that the first accused person recruited the third, fourth and fifth accused persons, who operated as 'pushers' at the airport, to aid and facilitate the exportation of the drugs by the first accused person," he added.

He said the investigation further revealed that in March, the second and fifth accused persons travelled to London and met with the 8th accused person, Nana Yaw, alias Baffour Gyaw, who is now in prison custody in London.

The Principal State Attorney mentioned that their activities were monitored by both the Ghana security agents and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of the UK.


He indicated that through the work of the officers of SOCA, the sixth, seventh and eight accused persons were arrested in London, and have been remanded in custody, pending the extradition of the first and fifth suspects to the UK.

"The arrest of the sixth, seventh and eight accused persons in London led to the arrest of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth accused persons in Ghana.

Thorough searches were conducted in their places of abode, and a number of documents and electronic equipment were retrieved from the accused persons which are pertinent to the case currently under investigations," the Prosecutor added.

He said a team of officers from SOCA had arrived in the country to assist their Ghanaian counterparts, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the police, in the investigation of the case.

 

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Jordan Blackshaw, 20, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, received four-year sentences for using Facebook to organize the riots.

People are questioning whether the punishment fits the crime for the organizers of the U.K. riots, who relied on Facebook to do the planning.
In northwestern England on August 16, Jordan Blackshaw, 20, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22,  received four-year sentences for using Facebook to organize the riots.
At the beginning of August 2011, London suffered from almost a full week of riots. There was damage, injuries, and death.
Now, British courts are looking to reprimand the thousands of people arrested during the chaos, and the first sentencing suggests there will be no getting off easy.
Blackshaw used Facebook to create an event  – including time, date, and location — for a “massive Northwich lootin’,” and Sutcliffe-Keenan created a Facebook Page called “Warrington Riots,” which provided a time and date for people wishing to be involved in a riot.
Not exactly good citizen posts, but there’s a catch: Neither posting actually resulted in looting or rioting, causing concern from the public and civil rights groups about the harsh length of the sentences.
Blackshaw’s solicitor notes that “It was something which was started as a joke by Jordan.”
Undeniably, it was a bad joke, but is a four year sentence appropriate? Andrew Nielson of the Howard League of Penal reform told The London Times:
There seems to be a complete lack of proportionality to some of the sentences. These make a mockery of proportionality, which is a key principle of the justice system.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service defended the sentencing, arguing that the posts lead to panic amongs residents.
Further, Prime Minister David Cameron supports the sentences; The Guardian quoted him:
What happened on our streets was absolutely appalling behaviour and to send a very clear message that it’s wrong and won’t be tolerated is what the criminal justice system should be doing. They decided in that court to send a tough sentence, send a tough message and I think it’s very good that courts are able to do that.
The real message : We are using these men as an example and sending a message. Whether one agrees with the sentencing or not, both men will likely appeal the decision. Some experts worry that as more harsh sentences from the riots are handed out, it will put stress on an already struggling court system.
For the two young men, a stress on the legal system is the least of their worries. While the men certainly deserve consequences for poorly thought out social media actions, if one compares their crime to other crimes that warrant four year sentences, Facebook posts simply don’t equate. As more and more rioters are sentenced, the issue of sentencing will certainly be raised again.
What kind of message does such a harsh sentence actually send? Is it the message of a government interested in solving problems or a government seeking to make a point?

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A man who was jailed for three years after being caught handing over cash in a drug deal is to have £91,000 seized under proceeds of crime laws.

William Thomson, 49, from Lanark, was arrested in October 2006 after transferring a holdall full of money to a car in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire.

Police intelligence revealed the cash - more than £90,000 - was in exchange for a delivery of drugs the following day.

Thomson was arrested following a long-running investigation by police.

The cash recovered in the operation was later stolen from Hamilton police station by a civilian worker.

Robert Moffat, a member of police support staff who looked after evidence, was found guilty of the theft and jailed for 22 months in November 2008.

Drug probe
Thomson, who was known to have links to serious and organised crime, was found guilty of offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act .

The court heard that his arrest was part of a two-year investigation by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.


We will continue to use every power available to us to disrupt these criminal enterprises”

Lindsey Miller
Crown Office
The operation focused on the activities of an organised crime group operating in the Lanarkshire and Glasgow areas.

Officers carrying out surveillance on Thomson saw him hand a bag to the occupant of Peugeot car in Uddingston.

Strathclyde Police later stopped the vehicle on the M74 near Bothwell and the holdall was found to contain more than £90,000.

The money was forensically examined and found to be heavily contaminated with heroin.

Thomson was pursued by Scotland's Civil Recovery Unit, which looks to confiscate cash and assets obtained through criminal activity.

A confiscation order for £91,415 was granted against him at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

Speaking afterwards, the Crown Office's Lindsey Miller said: "The Proceeds of Crime Act gives prosecutors wide-ranging powers to seize back cash and assets from those who choose to make their living from illegal activities.

"We will continue to use every power available to us to disrupt these criminal enterprises."

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Now governors warn of prison time bomb

Hundreds of rioters are being “warehoused” in jails across the country, pushing the prison population to record levels and increasing the risk of internal disturbances, violence and mass re-offending, the Government was warned yesterday by its own prison governors and officers.

Insiders spoke frankly of the huge strain placed on the system by the riots, painting a portrait of a service buckling under the weight of the increase in inmates – in contrast to public reassurances from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).


Prison officers warned that the crowding has already led to heightened tensions beyond prison gates, and that re-offending will rise because rehabilitation services have been compromised.

A leaked memo to prison governors from the MoJ shows that there are concerns in Whitehall about the safety of rioters being held on remand.

The total number of prisoners yesterday hit a new record of 86,654 – up 723 on the previous high set last Friday, and leaving less than 1,500 spaces left in the system. The four major remand prisons in London – Wormwood Scrubs, Wandsworth, Pentonville and Brixton – are under particular pressure. Private contractors are having to transfer some long-term inmates to less pressured jails in other cities.

The tough line taken by the courts, insiders said, would see some of those now behind bars being given crash courses in criminality.

Paul McDowell, the governor of Brixton Prison until 2009, and now chief exec of the crime reduction charity Nacro, told The Independent that the current difficulty in finding prison places will be nothing compared to the future repercussions of having so many people – many of whom have never seen the inside of a prison before – serving short sentences without adequate support.

“What we’ve seen over the past week is huge numbers of people being sent to our inner-city prisons which are already struggling to deliver rehabilitation services to its inmates,” he said.

“Many of those being put behind bars will spend three to four months in the cells with no constructive activity whatsoever. I wouldn’t be surprised if the re-offending rate increases.”

Geoff Dobson, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, added: “The rapid increase in prison numbers means that sections of our prison estate are becoming human warehouses, doing little more than banging people up in overcrowded conditions, with regimes that are hard pressed to offer any employment or education. The likelihood is that for some first time offenders this will provide a fast track to a criminal career.”

A report released by the trust last year found that 60 percent of those serving sentences under a year go on to re-offend.

Britain currently has the largest number of people behind bars per capita in Europe followed by Spain and Germany. Yet under the Government’s austerity measures, the Prison Service has been told to cut its budget by 23 percent over the next three years.

An employee of a private security company involved in the transportation of prisoners told The Independent that his workload had increased by about 30 to 40 percent, as vans shuttled those charged in the riot around the country to find cell beds. He said colleagues had been working through nights and on weekends to cope with the extra influx of cases.

The Prison Service said it was facing an "unprecedented situation" but insisted that it was "developing contingencies to increase usable capacity” and could cope with the recent influx.

The leaked MoJ memo, sent out to prison governors this week, warned of the dangers facing new prisoners locked up since the riots, after three new arrivals were attacked at Cookham Wood young offenders institute in Kent.

“Over the past few days there has been emerging intelligence regarding the consequences of receiving public disorder remands/offenders,” the MoJ memo read.

“This morning there has been a nasty three person alleged assault. All three victims were public disorder remands, two currently in hospital.

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

Steve Gillan, General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said: “We are dealing with the most over-crowded prison network that we can ever remember.

“The police have said they could possibly arrest another 2,000 people. Not all of these will go to prison but there is barely enough space to house even a third of those at the moment.

“It is simply unsustainable if we continue at the rate we are going.”

He added: “Morale among prison officers is at its lowest ebb since I joined the prison service 21 years ago.”

Eoin McLennan-Murray, president of the Prison Governors' Association, said: “What is worrying is if the landscape of sentencing has changed. If the courts continue to be heavy-handed with other offences and use custody more readily than they have done previously then that would be problematic longer term."

In the past two weeks, 138 under-18s have been remanded into custody for rioting alone – a six per cent rise on the number of children in Young Offender Institutions in June.

Lucy Dawes, director of performance at the Youth Justice Board, said it has had to move some long-term detainees to other parts of the country to deal with the influx of riot-related cases in London.

She said: “We have clear strategies in place to assess the needs of young people coming into the estate and ensuring that the time they are with is us is constructive.”

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “Governors were reminded to ensure that, despite increased arrivals to prison, all reception procedures were thoroughly followed.

“It is entirely appropriate to remind governors of the need to make proper assessments of the risks that apply to certain prisoners and the steps they should take to manage such risks.”

This could include Operation Safeguard which involves using police cells to house prisoners in the short term as well as re-opening facilities which have been closed down in recent months.

Immigration Minister Damian Green also said the Government wanted to deport any foreigners convicted over the riots, adding that it also had the power to cancel their visas.

 

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One boy had been nabbed by the police with a couple of Burberry shirts in his knapsack. Someone else had taken a violin.

One boy had been nabbed by the police with a couple of Burberry shirts in his knapsack. Someone else had taken a violin. Trainers galore, plastic carrier bags of mobile phones, tracksuit bottoms, sunglasses. If there hadn't been a trail of arson, broken glass, people trapped in collapsing flats and houses, the wholesale destruction of shops and livelihoods and deep fear, I would have said 'stealing sweets'

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Rioters push inmate total to record high

The prison population reached a record high today as officials said they were developing contingency plans to manage the unprecedented situation caused by hundreds of people being jailed over the riots.

Tough sentencing of those involved in the violence and looting by the courts saw the number of people behind bars in England and Wales rise by more than 100 a day over the past week.


But as some of the first appeals were heard, one woman who was jailed for five months after admitting that she accepted a pair of looted shorts from her housemate walked free from prison.

Mother-of-two Ursula Nevin, 24, who was sent down by a district judge at Manchester Magistrates' Court last week after she pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, had her sentence reduced on appeal.

The Recorder of Manchester, Judge Andrew Gilbart QC, said the original decision was "wrong in principle" as he ordered that she should instead perform 75 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Nevin was in bed at the time of the widespread disorder in Manchester city centre where her lodger, Gemma Corbett, helped herself to clothing and footwear from the Vans store and then took them back to the house they shared in Stretford, Greater Manchester.

The Prison Service insisted it had enough space to cope with anyone jailed over the disorder, adding that it was developing its contingency plans to manage the "unprecedented situation".

This could involve bringing on new accommodation early, using extra places in the public and private estate, or reopening mothballed accommodation.

But there are currently no plans to halt the closure of Latchmere House prison in Richmond, Surrey, or Brockhill prison in Redditch, Worcestershire, which are set to shut next month.

And plans which would trigger police cells being used to accommodate prisoners have not yet been activated.

Immigration Minister Damian Green also said the Government wanted to deport any foreigners convicted over the riots, adding that it also had the power to cancel their visas.

The total number of prisoners in England and Wales hit 86,654 today, 723 more than last week's record high of 85,931 and less than 1,500 short of the usable operational capacity of 88,093, the Ministry of Justice figures showed.

A tough approach by the courts has seen two-thirds of those charged remanded in custody, compared with just one in 10 of those charged with serious offences last year.

Eoin McLennan-Murray, president of the Prison Governors' Association, said: "What is worrying is if the landscape of sentencing has changed.

"If the courts continue to be heavy-handed with other offences and use custody more readily than they have done previously then that would be problematic longer term."

Campaigners and lawyers have criticised the tougher sentences handed to those involved in rioting and looting last week as disproportionate and have urged the courts not to be swayed by "angry Britain".

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith also warned that Britain cannot simply arrest its way out of the problems which caused the riots that rocked the country.

The country must instead "address why young people join gangs, try to prevent them getting involved in the first place and help those who want to exit gang life", he said.

His comments, in an article in The Guardian newspaper, came as the Government appeared split over its response to the riots, with some Liberal Democrats criticising Tory support for lengthy sentences and suggestions that rioters should be deprived of benefits and evicted from their homes.

Geoff Dobson, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the rapid increase in prison numbers meant parts of some jails were becoming "human warehouses" which will provide "a fast track to a criminal career" for first-time offenders.

Shadow prisons minister Helen Goodman said the Government has a "responsibility to ensure that the sentences handed down are being served safely".

The record came as an analysis showed that convicted rioters were being handed prison sentences which are on average 25% longer than normal.

Some 70% of defendants in 1,000 riot-related cases have been remanded in custody to await Crown Court trial, and 56 of 80 defendants already sentenced by magistrates have been handed immediate prison sentences.

Half of those jailed were charged with handling stolen goods or theft, receiving an average of 5.1 months, the study by The Guardian found. This is 25% longer than an average custodial sentence of 4.1 months for such crimes during 2010.

The outcry over sentencing began after Jordan Blackshaw, 20, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, were jailed for each setting up Facebook pages which encouraged people to riot. Even though no disorder occurred they were given four years each. Blackshaw plans to appeal against his punishment handed out by a judge at Chester Crown Court.

The Court of Appeal has not received any appeals so far about sentences handed out by the Crown Courts, a spokeswoman for the Judicial Office said.

"Anyone who wishes to appeal has 28 days from the passing of the sentence within which to do it. As and when appeals are received, the court is in a position to hear them promptly," she said.

Yesterday, Lord Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions in England and Wales, warned that judges must remain dispassionate and called on the Sentencing Council to issue new guidelines for the courts as soon as possible.

 

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LONDON is smug, secure, restrained, multicultural, 300 languages spoken; women in Niqabs, men in hoods; teachers can't discipline kids, police touch no one for fear of a lawsuit

, God's in heaven and all's right with the world! The UK is politically correct, all comers get welfare, illegals and lesbian converts can't be deported as they will suffer in their own country; it bends over to please everyone! Two weeks ago it had a shock. Home folk and migrants rioted!
Rioters want the goodies they were hyped to desire but cannot afford. The society parades goods, stirs desire and envy and now wonders why this happened. People want theirs!
This riot and arson should concern us. Why? People failed by a system or who did not seize opportunity still have the power to destroy. Our diaspora is involved and because we are iconic in UK crime - our music is violent, we prompted new laws, special police units for yardies, had the most prolific violent criminal, but caught after 40 years - there may be consequences for us. Crime-wise, we are in a class of our own! Will we now see more racism? Then, as "Jafaican" is the argot of the street, will this affect the diaspora and close doors to visa applicants? The racists have opened a front through historian David Starkey and we must watch it. The irony is that he said what our middle class say all the time: "We send kids to school and they come back talking as if they live in Trench Town with this 'buggu yagga music'." Is this racist too?
The context
People from Iraq risk their lives, pay £10k to gangs, cross continents, seas, Italy, Spain, France; hide in containers and Jamaicans buy birth certificates, light bills and tax papers from diaspora people as both groups want to get to the UK. Why? Once there they are set for life. UK is poor people's paradise. The poor go to the USA, work and make it; some go to the UK and live well without a job. The UK is victim of its liberal policies. These are need-centred and child-focused, but the dole is so close to wages it makes no sense to work. If you "jus cum" with three kids you get a house and benefits! But UK policy also removes parental discipline, emasculates teachers, cows the police and gives kids rights without responsibilities. It outlaws sanctions and uses incentives - cash, movie passes - to elicit good conduct - it fails! It excised competition from schools to protect fragile egos so kids are socialised to think there are no winners or losers. Then they grow up, and guess what? The best schools want first-class students, so do top universities and these get the top jobs! The rest face the truth and regret, envy, anger rise. Betrayed by these fluffy ideals they are ill prepared for the world. But they want the iPhone, tablet just as those who got A's in exams and good jobs and so they riot and loot to get them. There are lessons in this for us too.
What happened?
We saw riots, looting and arson. The man who thinks he has no future has nothing to lose. Such men are dangerous! This was criminal enterprise, nihilism and venality, not race riots. Why did it happen? Police stop-and-search, exclusion, criminality, envy, skewed values, poor parenting, weak policing, liberal courts - all the above. The UK is a "soft touch", so to looters the risk of an anklet, community service, jail - so what? There is no poverty in the UK. Not as we know it. If you have no job or money you get house and money. To get ahead girls have two quick kids as in law you must be housed for the kids' sake. The UK is about kids and a single mother gets more. (In Holland the girl's parents must support her to age 21 so they have few single mothers.) The poor live like some JA middle class.
The sequel
Who were the 3,000 looters? Black and white men, women and kids. The kick-off was the police killing of Mark Duggan (the mother of his three kids does not support the riots) a 29-year-old mixed-race man, alleged criminal, in an area with "nuff a fi wi peple" and a past of tensions with Caribbeans. Police arrested graduate, soldier, model, ballet dancer, plumber, 13-year-old with axe, salesman, parson pickney and many others, black and white.
The police
The police were subdued as they got a kicking from the courts and the public over recent student demos. They watched looting impassively. They protect people, not merchants' goods. UK street policing is tame to Jamaica's and prison is a hotel. This may change soon. PM Cameron now wants Bill Bratton, the police chief who cleaned up NY and LA to do the same for London. Strange how we ask UK police for help when our crime scenario is like the USA. The UK has over 40 police forces but none carry firearms. London police fire guns about a dozen times this year - we fire a dozen a day - community policing is their forte and the rank and file do not want guns. London is to get a new police chief, but chiefs of other UK forces hesitate to apply though two women are in the running. Mr Ellington should offer advice to their police modernisation team as sadly, our people are big players in London crime.
The courts
Courts are sitting at night, Saturday and Sunday all over the UK to clear cases. Prompt justice is God's work! Is this an example of how to clear our own backlog of cases?
The media
The media are in there too and Daily Express "Reclaim the Streets" project kicked off and Wayne Rooney, with his new hair transplant, donated a week's pay ($9m) to the cause.
Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival is now in jeopardy. Thanks to the riots it may be cancelled or cut back. Caribbean exporters, small businesses and our people in the UK would suffer.
Technology
Looting went viral as BlackBerry Messenger - mobilised "lootmobs". The poor have BBM and its dedicated servers mean the police could not intercept texts. Still CCTV works! Police analysts are trawling through 20,000 hours of film of the week and miscreants are identified daily. Technology makes police and looters more efficient.
Moral hazard
New morality says; "I am poor, had a single parent, have no certificates, so society must shield me from the consequences of my actions." Not so! Poverty is no excuse. UK politicians are not in the top 10 per cent salary bracket, some fiddled expenses and were jailed. Our politicians are in the top 10 per cent salaries bracket here, yet we jail none for corruption. Moral decay at the top explains a lot of what happens at the bottom but does not excuse it. An existential issue in UK courts is, "How do you punish poor people?" What can you deprive them of? Benefits (taxes) pay for their house, food, etc. But prison costs the taxpayer three times as much - who really suffers? Riot-torn Britain asks for no aid from us but if they send ours to us and pay us the £40k per year it costs to keep each in jail, prison here could make a profit and we return them after they serve their time. Why not? Stay conscious, my friend!

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6,000 British tourists and expats received consular help after being arrested overseas last year.

The number of Britons arrested overseas fell by more than 10 per cent between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said in its British Behaviour Abroad report. However, lawyers last night warned that the Government is failing dozens of detained Britons who have been stuck in inhumane prison systems awaiting trial for months or even years.

More than 200 Britons who were unable to get access to a lawyer or were detained without charge sought legal assistance from an international NGO which helps people caught up in unjust or corrupt criminal justice systems.

Fair Trials International (FTI) said that the FCO should do more to ensure Britons arrested abroad have access to lawyers and interpreters in order to help them to understand their rights and prepare a defence.

The highest number of arrests took place in Spain, the most popular holiday and migration destination for Britons. But proportionately, people were most likely to be arrested in Thailand, followed by the United States.

Jago Russell, chief executive of FTI, said: "Behind the FCO statistics there are shocking individual stories of torture and mistreatment by foreign police, arbitrary detention, grossly unfair trials and families torn apart." He added: "We are delighted that the UK Government is warning Britons of the consequences of criminal behaviour abroad, but for those who are arrested consular assistance is a vital public service."

A spokeswoman for the FCO said: "We take any complaints about the fairness of judicial proceedings seriously. However in the first instance, we would expect those concerns to be taken forward by the lawyers involved. If those concerns were not able to be addressed through the court process we could then consider what action might be appropriate."

Case study: Jailed in Peru

After his travelling companion was caught smuggling drugs, Alan Rae, 40, from Oxfordshire, was wrongly convicted of drug trafficking in Peru in April 2009 . He returned home at the end of July after more than two years in prison after his conviction was quashed, thanks in part to assistance from Fair Trials International. But he is still angry at the lack of consular support.

"We saw someone from the consulate after four days, and then not again till we were moved to the prison, 12 days after our arrest," he said, adding that he was not offered an interpreter. "The prison was awful: there were 100 people sleeping in the corridor every night. It was dirty, prisoners carried knives and there were riots. We got consular visits only every three months; other nationalities like the Germans and Spanish were visited every month.

"My brother contacted Fair Trials International who helped me get an interpreter and a lawyer; the consulate did nothing for me. If it hadn't been for Fair Trials International and my family, I would never have got home.

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Nine Britons have been arrested on Ibiza with 1,700 doses of ecstasy and other drugs.

The Guardia Civil believe the group supplied the ecstasy which is believed to have been responsible for the fatal heart attack suffered by Jodie Nieman, a 20 year old British tourist, on July 13.

Mephedrone is a stimulant which has an increased heart rate among its side effects, and is sometimes sold as ecstasy.

The breakup of the British drug traffickers comes thanks to the work of the rural security section of the Guardia Civil on Ibiza, who identified an individual who was nervous when questioned last August 9. This 24 year old was carrying 200 ecstasy pills, 51 doses of mephedrone and 78 grams of the drug in a bag, 10 grams of ketamine, as well as precision scales.

The EDOA anti organised crime and anti-drug group then took charge of the case leading to the location of the nine Britons, aged between 20 and 30, who lived in apartments in Sant Antoni de Portmany.

Their homes were searched last Wednesday afternoon when the arrests were also made. They will appear shortly in Instruction Court 2 in Ibiza.

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26 year old British man who was stabbed in the early hours of Saturday outside a bar in Sant Antoni, Ibiza

26 year old British man who was stabbed in the early hours of Saturday outside a bar in Sant Antoni, Ibiza, remained in intensive care on Sunday.

He was stabbed in the chest and legs and is said to be in a critical condition in intensive care in the Can Misses Hospital, although he is conscious.

Hospital sources gave the man’s initials to Europa Press as A.A. and say that his condition has not changed since he was taken off assisted breathing on Saturday after surgery.

He was found injured at 1.35am outside the Plástic bar in Avenida Doctor Fleming in Sant Antoni, and the Guardia Civil have still be unable to unravel exactly what had happened.

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British man had 200 ecstasy pills for 'private use

24 year old British man, named with the initials M.E., has told the duty court on Ibiza that he had a Tupperware container with 200 ecstasy pills for private consumption with 30 of his friends.
The container also held 51 doses and 78 grams of mephedrone, and ten doses of Ketamine.

The judge in Instruction Court 3 in Palma, Carmen Martín, said however that she did not believe his story, and ordered he be held in prison without bail.

The Briton was one of eight British men who were arrested as part of the EDOA drug squad operation, authorised by Judge José Espinosa in two apartments in the Jovial block in Sant Antoni. Three of the eight have since been released, but have to register with the court twice a month.

The group claimed that the drugs found were in a room which belonged to another Briton who has not been arrested. They claimed that the ginger-haired man had escaped through a window when the Guardia Civil arrived.

 

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Two Britons have been arrested by the National Police in Ciutadella, Menorca in connection with thefts from hotels

Two Britons have been arrested by the National Police in Ciutadella, Menorca in connection with thefts from hotels. They were detained as they tried to leave the island.

Police have linked the two, 46 year old R.C.D. and Z.B. whose age has not been given with seven robberies from hotel rooms in urbanisations in the town. R.C.D. is said to have a criminal record, both in Spain and the U.K., and has been in prison in both countries.

The two are alleged to have entered the empty rooms by invisibly forcing the lock, to remove money and items of value found inside.
Police searched their hire car as they were trying to leave the island, and found cash in several currencies, as well as top brand electronic items, phones, clothes, cameras and other items.

Investigations continue, but police say they already know the pair has stayed in several different hotels on the Baleares over recent days, always staying just the single night in each venue.

Two Britons arrested for breaking into hotel rooms on the Baleares

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The family of a British woman given a life sentence for drug trafficking was celebrating today after a court in the United Arab Emirates slashed her prison term by more than half.

The family of a British woman given a life sentence for drug trafficking was celebrating today after a court in the United Arab Emirates slashed her prison term by more than half.

The father of Anna Bartlett, 23, said the cut was a "terrific step" in his efforts to get his daughter home after she was jailed in May this year.

Philip Bartlett, 52, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, said his family would now take further legal steps to try to prove their daughter's innocence.

Ms Bartlett, also known as Anna Hamilton, was told today at a hearing in Ras Al Khaimah she would serve a 10-year sentence after she was originally given a 25-year stretch without parole.

She had denied using, trafficking and importing drugs into the Emirates, but was found guilty by a panel of judges.

Mr Bartlett said he was given the news about the reduction in her sentence on the telephone by his daughter's lawyer.

"The lawyer said to me 'thank God for everything' and I thanked him for his good efforts," he said.

"Everybody in the UAE has been very good considering the circumstances. Anna has had good medical care and been well legally-aided.

"This is a terrific step. But I have nothing against the UAE."

Father-of-three Mr Bartlett said that now the legal process was over the family had "other steps" planned, but said it was too early to give details.

Ms Bartlett and three other Britons were arrested last November and charged with a variety of drugs related offences.

Today Daniel Maalouf, 28, from London, who was jailed for 10 years for intent to traffic drugs, had his sentence cut to four years.

The pair were joined in court by Britons Katherine Jenkins, 29, of Neath, south Wales and Stacey Simpson, 28, from Leeds.

Jenkins and Simpson, who are awaiting drugs charges, were fighting a move by the courts to have their cases transferred to Dubai - another of the seven states that make up the UAE.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the pair were not charged but their case was transferred.

Maalouf was told he faces other unspecified charges and was also transferred to Dubai, the spokeswoman said.

The Britons were amongst a group of eight to be arrested on various drugs charges last year.

The group included Anne Kidd, 32, who was travelling on a false passport which claimed she was from Leeds, the spokeswoman said. It is thought she is from Eastern Europe.

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Somalia has jailed three Britons, two Kenyans and an American for bringing more than $3m (£2m) in cash illegally into the country, allegedly to pay ransoms to pirates for ships they hold.

The two men accused of carrying the cash received 15-year sentences; the others got 10 years.

The men were arrested on 24 May shortly after they landed at the airport in the capital, Mogadishu.

The UN says more than $110m in ransoms were paid to Somali pirates last year.

The Somali government officially opposes the payment of ransoms, but the practice has become routine.

The two men jailed for 15 years were also fined $15,000 (£9,000) each. The other four men - two pilots and their assistants - received $10,000 (£6,000) fines alongside their jail terms.

This is the first time Westerners have been sentenced for involvement in delivering ransoms. It is not clear why this group of men fell foul of the authorities.

Asked about possible pardons or parole, information ministry spokesman Abdifitah Abdinur said: "Everything is possible and I can't comment on the future."

Benadir regional court judge Hashi Ilmi Nur told the BBC that foreigners could appeal against convictions to Somalia's high court.

The Foreign Office in London has said it is aware of the verdicts and has told the authorities in Mogadishu to ensure the safety and security of the group while legal options are considered.

"We are in touch with the families and are providing consular assistance," a UK Foreign Office statement said.

"We understand that the president has issued an instruction ordering that the group are not to be moved from the relative safety of the airport; we are seeking assurances from the government to this effect."

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Jack Tweed told by court to grow up

The widower of reality TV star Jade Goody was told to "grow up" by a magistrate today as he was given community service for assaulting a man outside a bar.

Jack Tweed, 24, admitted common assault after punching Tom Grantham in the back of the head outside Deuces Bar and Lounge in Chigwell, Essex, in January.

He was given an 18-month supervision order, will do 100 hours of unpaid work, and must take part in a programme to prevent re-offending.

Tweed must also pay £625 costs.

Tweed also aimed two kicks at Mr Grantham, a 21-year-old builder, but missed.

Susan Mann, chair of the bench at Redbridge Magistrates' Court, told Tweed: "I think you now understand that this has got to stop as Mr (Ronald) Jaffa (defending) has said.

"You get yourself into trouble, you drink, you hit someone and try to kick them, that's not the answer...Grow up, stop all this, move on."

His brother Lewis Tweed, 21, was fined £135 and will pay a £15 victim surcharge plus £625 costs for punching Mr Grantham.

The court heard that Jack Tweed and Mark Wright, who appears in reality series The Only Way is Essex, had both invested money in Deuces, but it was then firebombed in October last year.

The venue also fell prey to a second firebomb attack on New Year's Eve, and the flames were extinguished by a night security guard.

Days later on January 3 this year, the Tweeds thought that they heard Mr Grantham threatening to attack the venue as he stood outside in the early hours of the morning.

Lewis Tweed said in a statement that he "genuinely believed that the club might be attacked".

Mr Grantham was then assaulted by the Tweeds.

Mr Wright was acquitted of using threatening behaviour earlier this month.

Defending Jack Tweed, Mr Jaffa explained that the nightclub promoter was only involved in the attack for a matter of seconds, and said: "Unfortunately on this particular evening it was the culmination of a large investment that had gone awry...and what you know happened, the threats that were being made."

He said that the Tweeds, who live at their parents' home in Roebuck Lane, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, are from a "hard-working and respectable" family, and that Jack "doesn't ever want to be before the court again".

But that did not prevent the dressing down by Ms Mann, who warned Jack Tweed to take the advice of probation staff during the programme to prevent re-offending.

"You have this opportunity to do this programme. Take their advice, use their advice, please stop this."

He has been jailed twice in the past for violence, once in 2006 for hitting a 16-year-old boy with a golf club, and again in 2008 for battery of a taxi driver.

Lewis Tweed, who works as a driver and semi-professional golfer, had no previous convictions. The brothers left court without making any comment.

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man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two police officers were hit by a car as they chased looters in north-east London.

Detectives released footage of the incident in Royston Avenue, Waltham Forest in the early hours of 8 August.

One of the PCs was hit so hard that some of his body armour came off. One officer suffered leg injuries while the other injured a shoulder.

A 31-year-old man surrendered himself at an east London police station.

'Sheer luck'
The two officers were part of a group who were following up reports of looting at a clothes shop on Chingford Mount Road when the car - registration number Y132 GHJ - struck the officers at about 01:00 BST.

The vehicle then turned right on to Chingford Mount Road and right again on to New Road.

The injured officers, both based at Paddington Green police station, are now recovering at home and will receive further specialist treatment.

Det Insp Cliff Haines said: "These individuals clearly had no regard for the safety of the officers or anyone else in their path.

"Judging from the footage and the speed at which this car is being driven I can only assume that the intention was to cause serious harm and injury.

"It is only sheer luck the officers did not sustain more serious injuries."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said 237 officers had been injured during the disturbances which began in Tottenham on 6 August.

In total, 1,685 people have been arrested and 985 charged following the three days of rioting and looting in London.

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Air attack flier beats jail due to plane fear

WOMAN who forced a pilot to abort a landing because she was fighting with crew and passengers has avoided jail because of her fear of flying.
Lynn Grimes, 41, had been drinking before the Athens to Manchester flight and sank a bottle of wine on board to help her cope with the trip.

Cabin crew had let her sit with them due to her phobia - but as the easyJet plane came in to land she refused to go back to her seat.

Grimes grabbed a passenger by the hair and kicked a steward in the stomach, forcing the pilot to keep the plane in the air until she was seated.

Tourism worker Grimes, of South Shields, Tyne and Wear, admitted endangering an aircraft and two assault charges.

A judge at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court gave her an eight-month suspended sentence after accepting she "simply panicked".

 

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Two men have been handed four-year jail terms for setting up Facebook pages encouraging people to riot – even though the riots never took place.

The sentences are some of the stiffest handed down so far by the courts since last week's widespread disturbances and signal how determined the judiciary is to punish anyone caught using social media to spread looting or violence.


Jordan Blackshaw, 20, from Marston near Northwich, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, from Warrington, appeared at Chester Crown Court yesterday and both pleaded guilty to inciting violent disorder.

The court heard how Blackshaw was the only person who turned up to his own riot and was promptly arrested by police whilst Sutcliffe-Keenan's riot page was only up for a few hours before he took it down again.

Blackshaw labelled his Facebook group "Smash dwn [sic] in Northwich Town" and called on his friends to meet behind McDonald's in the town centre on Tuesday 9 August for "lootin". The police had already infiltrated his group and, according to the prosecutor Martin McRobb, only nine of his 147 friends even bothered to reply to his call to arms.

Sutcliffe-Keenan, meanwhile, used his Facebook account in the early hours of 9 August to design a web page entitled The Warrington Riots. The page was live for several hours before he took it down but it had already caused a wave of panic in the town.

According to prosecutors, 47 people confirmed their attendance on the site before it was shut down. In the end, however, no one turned up.

His lawyer, Rebecca Tanner, claimed that her client had been drunk when he posted his messages, and when he woke up hungover the following morning he quickly realised what he had done. "He had a thick head from the alcohol consumed at lunchtime, and a phone call from a friend prompted him to remember his action," she said. "He realised the gravity of what he had done, removed the page and added an apology and words to the effect that it was a joke."

But Mr McRobb told the court Sutcliffe-Keenan had fully intended to cause mayhem. "He included on the site a graphic photograph of a scene of riot in which police officers in riot gear were in a stand-off with a group of rioters," he said. "He also posted an image on his web page of himself and his associates in what police have described as a gangster-like pose." Judge Elgan Edwards told Blackshaw he had committed an "evil" act and sentenced him to four years in a Young Offenders' Institution.

"This happened at a time when collective insanity gripped the nation," he said. "Your conduct was quite disgraceful and the title of the message you posted on Facebook chills the blood. You sought to take advantage of crime elsewhere and transpose it to the peaceful streets of Northwich."

Sentencing Sutcliffe-Keenan to four years in jail, Judge Edwards said: "You caused a very real panic and you put a very considerable strain on police resources in Warrington."

Phil Thompson, an Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police, said he welcomed the length of the sentences.

"If we cast our minds back just a few days to last week and recall the way in which technology was used to bring people together to commit acts of criminality, it is easy to understand the four-year sentences that were handed down in court today," he said.

At the height of the riots police chiefs warned that they would pursue those using social networking to encourage violent confrontations. In the past few days a string of arrests has been made on charges of inciting disorder.

Riots in brief...

Johnson heckled on community visit

Boris Johnson paid a chaotic visit to Peckham in south-east London yesterday to show support for the community. The London Mayor was at different times warmly approved, heckled by angry locals, surrounded by an excitable crowd and finally popped into the front of a police van to ensure his smooth exit from the area. He began by adding his own handwritten note to hundreds of others on the boarded-up windows of Poundland, which has become known as the Peckham Peace Wall. Mr Johnson's message said: "I love Peckham! We will bounce back."

Council will pay poor students' fees

A local authority is to pay poor students' university fees in the first scheme of its kind in the country. The initiative was devised by Southwark Council, which said it was "more important than ever to support young people" in the wake of the riots.

It will offer scholarships to students who would otherwise be put off university by fees of up to £9,000 a year. Each year, at least five young people studying arts, sciences or vocational degrees will be funded for the duration of their courses.

Arson suspect has his home set ablaze

A man accused of starting a fire that ruined £319,000 of stock at a clothes shop has had his flat damaged in a suspected arson attack. Police are investigating the blaze at the home of Dane Williamson, who is in custody over damage he allegedly caused to Miss Selfridge in central Manchester. No one was hurt in the blaze at Broughton Road, Salford.

Mr Williamson, 18, was arrested last week after police saw footage of his alleged offence, which had been distributed on YouTube. He claims he is a victim of mistaken identity and will appear at Manchester Crown Court tomorrow.

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