Police have charged more than a dozen people over the vile rioting sweeping the nation as the CPS vowed to take ‘immediate’ action against lawbreakers.
Six people have been named and charged over offences in Southport, Liverpool city centre and Walton in the past week, Merseyside Police confirmed tonight.
A further six will also face the courts tomorrow after being charged with violent disorder for their alleged roles in clashes in Sunderland on Friday.
Seven have already appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court after being charged with violent disorder in Hartlepool on Wednesday.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) confirmed tonight that there have already been 147 arrests made since Saturday, with the figure expected to rise ‘significantly’, following deplorable attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers.
MIDDLESBROUGH: A car burns on Parliament Road after it was set alight by far-right thugs
ROTHERHAM: Police try to restore order as thugs attack a hotel housing asylum seekers
ROTHERHAM: A thug throws concrete bricks as police officers try to restore order on Sunday
ROTHERHAM: A man is attacked by police dogs during an anti-immigration protest on Sunday
ROTHERHAM: Violent thugs attack a hotel housing asylum seekers earlier today
ROTHERHAM: A man is arrested as riot police clashed with far-right protestors today
ROTHERHAM: A demonstrator joins the anti-immigration protest in Rotherham on Sunday
MIDDLESBROUGH: A car burns on Parliament Road after it was set alight by far-right activists
Jimmy Bailey, 45, of Station Avenue, Ellesmere Port was charged with violent disorder after a group were seen throwing stones, bricks and missiles at police on Saturday.
He was remanded into custody to appear at Liverpool Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Declan Geiran, 29, of Kelso Road, Liverpool, has been charged with violent disorder and arson.
It followed an attempt to set a police van on fire in the city. He has also been remanded in custody to appear before Liverpool Magistrates Court on Monday.
Lloyd Killner, 35, of Burton Road, Lincoln, faces the same charge after a group were seen in Stanley Street charging and swearing at officers, and throwing missiles.
William Nelson, 69, of Linton Street, Walton, has been charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. Both will appear at the same court tomorrow.
Liam James Riley, of Walton Road, Kirkdale, has also been charged with violent disorder.
He has been remanded into custody to appear at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Derek Drummond, 58, of Pool Street, Southport has also been charged with violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker.
He will appear at Wirral Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts said earlier this week that police would ‘continue to explore all lines of inquiry’ to bring offenders to justice.
He said this includes a ‘specialist team’ currently reviewing ‘hundreds of hours of footage’ and images to identify all those involved.
‘If you took part in this disorder, you can expect to receive a knock on your door by our officers,’ he added.
‘We would continue to appeal to anyone who has information or video footage of those involved in the shocking disorder on Tuesday night to come forward so we can identify and arrest those responsible.’
ROTHERHAM: A man throws a missile during an anti-immigration demonstration on Sunday
ROTHERHAM: Flares are waved during a riot outside of the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers
MIDDLESBROUGH: Hundreds turned out to march and enact horrifying violence today
MIDDLESBROUGH: police help a woman after falling over during an anti-immigration protest
SUNDERLAND: A car is toppled over and set alight during scenes of disorder on Friday
BOLTON: A group of protesters were kept apart from counter protesters this afternoon
LIVERPOOL: The destroyed interior of a library and food bank following violent demos
ROTHERHAM: An agitator hurls concrete bricks near the hotel attacked on Sunday
The Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement this evening it had deployed extra lawyers ‘to ensure law and order is maintained, and justice is served’ following an order to make immediate charging decisions where evidence is available.
Stephen Parkinson, Director of Public Prosecutions, said: ‘The acts of violence seen across the country this weekend have involved criminality of the most serious kind.
‘I want there to be no doubt about our determination to ensure that those involved will face severe consequences.
‘I am determined that we will act swiftly and robustly, giving the courts maximum ability to pass sentences that reflect what has occurred.’
UK courts are now to operate for 24 hours to expedite prosecutions of those involved in the riots, the government confirmed yesterday as violence erupted on the streets of Belfast, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Stoke.
Keir Starmer today ‘ guarantee[d]‘ that people fuelling the chaos in person or online ‘will regret taking part in this disorder’ in an evening address.
‘People in this country have a right to be safe and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, and wanton violence,’ he said.
‘So no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery.
‘To those who feel targeted because of the colour of your skin or your faith, I know how frightening this must be.
‘I want you to know that this violent mob does not represent our country, and we will bring them to justice.
‘Our police deserve out support, as they tackle any and all violent disorder that flares up
‘Whatever the apparent cause or motivation, we make no distinction – crime is crime, and this government will tackle it.’
The statement came as rioters set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.
Horrifying scenes showed groups throwing bricks of concrete in the direction of the hotel and fires set outside, near doors.
Objects and pieces of wood were flung at officers who had lined up in front of the building with at least one cop in riot gear being carried away by their colleagues.
South Yorkshire Police assistant chief constable Lindsey Butterfield said ‘those who simply stood on and watched’ the rioting in Rotherham were ‘absolutely complicit in this’.
Rioters ‘should expect us to be at their doors very soon’, she added.
MIDDLESBROUGH: A member of the community offers snacks to officers on the front line
MIDDLESBROUGH: Residents offer food and snacks to police on the front line this evening
TAMWORTH: The stairwell of a Holiday Inn Express was set alight this evening, as ‘Get out England’ was spray painted on the side of the building
TAMWORTH: Flames engulf the stairwell in the Holiday Inn tonight as violence breaks out
From left to right: Alice Dasilva Aguiar,9, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and six-year-old Bebe King. The three girls tragically died after they were stabbed at a Taylor Swift dance event
A woman and a child embrace while they look at flowers in Southport. Memorials have sprung up across the Merseyside town where residents can leave floral tributes to the victims
Landmarks across the country were lit up in pink yesterday in tribute to the three children killed in the attack including Downing Street
As many as 35 people were arrested in Middlesbrough during the violence that took place in the town on Sunday.
A so-called protest organised by anti-immigration groups was organised to travel along the Linthorpe Road, where a mob was later seen screening drivers to ask whether they were ‘white and English’ before allowing them to pass.
More than 300 protesters started marching towards the city’s Cenotaph on Sunday.
Hooligans set fire to cars and wheelie bins, pushed towards police trying to restore order.
The ‘staggering’ surge of violence led to 35 people being arrested in Middlesbrough on Sunday, police said.
Rioters smashed the windows of houses and cars and hurled objects at officers, with one seen shouting a racial slur and another telling police: ‘It’s our f****** country.’
There was significant damage to the crown court, the university and a number of properties in the Parliament Road area.
At least two people were taken away in handcuffs within the first half hour, while several pieces of slate were thrown, along with vapes and full plastic bottles.
Some people kicked bollards into the road so that police vehicles driving ahead of the group could not get through, and one man sat on the bonnet of a police car to stop it from moving.
Cleveland Police said it has now arrested 55 people because of the violence that has swept across Teesside as 20 suspects were also arrested after rioting in Hartlepool on Wednesday.
Assistant Chief Constable David Felton said: ‘The level of violence we have seen today is staggering.
‘We know the shocking scenes across Middlesbrough today will have caused alarm amongst communities.
‘I want to reassure the people of Teesside that we will continue to identify those involved in these acts of violence and arrest them and put them before the courts.’
One Middlesbrough resident said: ‘We’re going to be paying for this, and for what?
‘This has got nothing to do with three little girls that have lost their lives. They’ve used it to cause utter mayhem on our streets.’
A person was seen being stretchered into an ambulance after an incident at the Swatters Carr pub.
Cleveland Police said officers have made nine arrests so far relating to violent disorder offences in Middlesbrough.
Seven people appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Friday after earlier being charged and remanded in custody by police.
Ryan Sheers, 29, and Steven Mailen, 54, both pleaded guilty to a single charge of violent disorder in Murray Street, Hartlepool.
ROTHERHAM: Violence saw aggressors attack a hotel housing asylum seekers on Sunday
ROTHERHAM: Riot police detain an anti-migration agitator outside the Holiday Inn
MIDDLESBROUGH: Police made 35 arrests in Middlesbrough on Sunday as violence flared
ROTHERHAM: Rioters throw a garbage bin on fire outside the hotel
ROTHERHAM: A police dog attacks one of the group on a so-called anti-migration protest
BOLTON: Police officers stand guard as counter-protesters push against the police cordon on the day of a protest against illegal immigration
SUNDERLAND: Clean up work begins after a night of horror in Sunderland on Friday
HANLEY: Police attend to a bleeding man amid anti-migration demonstrations
The riots have swept across several UK cities following the deaths of three young girls in Southport.
Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old from Lancashire, was identified as the suspect in the case, charged with murdering three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.
He is accused of killing Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, with a kitchen knife on Monday.
Eight other children sustained knife wounds, with five of them left in critical condition.
Judge Menary KC cited ‘idiotic rioting’ in parts of the UK in his reasoning for lifting the automatic anonymity given to Rudakubana, as misinformation spread online about the suspect’s identity.
Claims falsely circulated social media that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, described as a ‘quiet choir boy’ with a family involved in the local Christian church.
