Boy to stand trial for London riot murder

A 16-YEAR-OLD boy was yesterday ordered to stand trial for the murder of a pensioner who confronted rioters in London as British judges and prosecutors used tough punishment and name-and- shame tactics against hundreds of participants in the mayhem.

Meanwhile. the British government said police would get better training and stronger powers to deal with a new and unpredictable era of disturbances.

“We will make sure police have the powers they need,” said Home Secretary Theresa May. These would include the power to impose blanket curfews in troubled areas.

A teenager, not named because of his age, appeared in court yesterday accused of killing 68-year-old Richard Bowes, who was found lying in a street during violence in Ealing, west London, on August 8.

CCTV footage captured Bowes being punched and falling to the pavement after he tried to stamp out a fire set by rioters. He died of three days later.

The suspect was charged with murder, violent disorder and the burglary of a bookmakers, a supermarket, a video store and a restaurant. He did not enter a plea and was ordered detained as he awaits trial at the Central Criminal Court. The boy’s 31-year-old mother has been charged with obstructing the police investigation. She was also denied bail.

Police have arrested more than 3,000 people over the riots; 1,400 have been charged with riot-related offences. More than 1,200 have appeared in court, often in chaotic, round- the-clock sessions dispensing justice that is swifter, and harsher, than usual.

Although public opinion favours stern punishment for rioters, a few cases have made headlines and sparked debate. A London man received six months in jail for stealing a case of water worth £3.50 (€4) from a looted supermarket. A Manchester mother of two who did not take part in the riots was sentenced to five months for wearing a pair of looted shorts her roommate had brought home.

Meanwhile, victims of the riots are to be given the chance to speak out.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government would be establishing an independent communities and victims panel to ensure those caught up in the violence “can have their voice heard”.

Mr Clegg stressed that the panel would not be the full- scale inquiry demanded by Labour leader Ed Miliband but was intended to be part of a “grassroots process” to establish what happened.

“We don’t want a grandees committee, we want a grassroots process where people in the communities affected and the victims who have been so damaged and hurt can give their views about what needs to happen to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

The Cabinet Office will be commissioning independent research to find out “what happened, who did what and why they did it”, he said.

Mr Clegg said he wanted the panel — to be chaired by an independent figure — to work quickly, producing a report to be presented to all three main party leaders in six to nine months.

As David Cameron toured Tottenham in north London, Ms May said ministers were looking at powers for police to impose curfews: “Under existing laws, there is no power to impose a general curfew... and, while curfew conditions can be placed on some offenders as part of their Asbo, criminal sentence or bail conditions, there are only limited powers to impose them on somebody under the age of 16.”