London riots News

Just one in 13 foreigners who took part in the riots of 2011 have been deported, it emerged today.

More than 200 foreign criminals were convicted for their part in the riots, which saw shops looted, businesses burnt to the ground and hundreds of millions of pounds of damage done.

Of the 201 cases passed to the UK Border Agency (UKBA), only 15 have been kicked out the country, showed figures released to the Daily Mail following a Freedom of Information request.

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: "Any foreign national who abuses the privilege of coming to the UK by committing a serious offence should face the consequences.

"Many of those convicted of involvement in last summer's riots are still behind bars - that's where they belong. We are pursuing deportation in scores of cases and wherever possible, when they have paid their debt to society, we will remove them from the UK."

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Two men jailed for robbing a Malaysian student during the London riots have had their convictions for robbery and violent disorder overturned at the High Court.

The court accepted 24-year-old Reece Donovan and John Kafunda were both wrongly identified as the men who robbed Ashraf Rossli.

CCTV footage of a group of men pretending to be 'Good Samaritans' in order to steal from the injured student during last year's rioting caused widespread outrage.

Both Donovan and Kafunda have spent 16 months in jail.

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The arrest of leaders of criminal gangs in the wake of last year's riots has led to an increase in "chaos, violence and anarchy" in neighbourhoods across the country, a report claimed.

Prime Minister David Cameron promised an "all-out war on gangs and gang culture" following the riots which brought mayhem to many English cities in the summer of 2011, and police have responded by arresting many of those associated with criminal groups.

But the report by the Centre for Social Justice, obtained by The Observer ahead of its publication on Monday, found that the removal of established gang leaders has led to the breakdown of criminal codes of behaviour and a "marked increase" in violence.

Many in Whitehall regard the riots as a random one-off, and mistake the quashing of the disorder as control of the streets. They could not be more wrong.

The alarming fact is that many streets across the country are besieged by anarchy and violence. There is no control in such neighbourhoods.

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• David Cameron

Mark Duggan, whose death triggered rioting across England, had a loaded gun when police shot him dead, Snaresbrook Crown Court has heard.

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• Mark Duggan

I've been in court today as sixteen people were sentenced for their role in the riots of London last year. They were sentenced to more than 70 years between them.

The judge said they went on a "journey of destruction" through the streets.

The prosecution described it as a campaign of violent disorder, burglary, and assault in Queensway and Notting Hill. Two rival gangs "put aside their differences" to join together in criminality. Shops were looted and shop owners attacked. The judge said:

"It was a year ago today that you were involved in this mob criminality that so disturbed the law-abiding public.

Today in stark contrast to the scenes of arson, looting and damage, London is hosting the Olympics which demonstrates the excellence which can be achieved in sport and is an inspiration to all. However those involved in these events were intent on doing the opposite."

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• August riots

A service will be held today to mark a year since the death of a man who was shot dead by police before the London riots.

A year and a day after the death of Mark Duggan in Tottenham, north London, members of his family are expected to attend a "service of hope" during what is being billed as a Day of Remembrance "to reflect on the events in the year since the shooting".

The event at Tottenham Town Hall comes after Mr Duggan's mother, Pam Duggan, made a fresh plea for justice for the family.

Mrs Duggan, whose son was shot in the torso by Metropolitan Police as they swooped on a car he was travelling in, said: "The past 12 months have been terrible."

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• August riots

The mother of a man who was shot dead by police before the London riots has called for justice as the family marks the first anniversary of his death.

Pam Duggan, whose son Mark was shot in the torso by Metropolitan Police as they swooped on a car he was travelling in, hit out at their wait for answers.

Mrs Duggan said: "The past 12 months have been terrible.

"We still have no answers about why my son died.

"Thirty-one police officers surrounded Mark and he was shot twice.

"Why?

She continued: "Why have none of the police officers given statements, one year on?

"One of the last things my partner, Mark's dad, said before he died a few weeks ago was that he wanted justice for his son.

"We still don't have justice. I won't give up until I get justice for Mark.

"People need to be held to account for my son's death. There needs to be a full inquest, in front of a jury of ordinary men and women, to find out the truth."

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• August riots

Police expect a repeat of last summer's riots and are concerned about how budget cuts will affect their ability to deal with the unrest, according to a study into the disorder.

The majority of officers caught up in August's unrest believe similar rioting is likely, with many citing worsening social and economic conditions as the potential cause, the survey found.

They also fear their forces do not have the resources to cope with unrest on a similar scale.

A total of 130 officers from eight forces were interviewed as part of The Reading the Riots research conducted by the London School of Economics and The Guardian.

Most gave anonymous accounts of the riots which spread across London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Salford last summer.

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• August riots

A court has been shown CCTV footage showing the daughter of a millionaire taking part in a looting spree during the London riots.

The footage shows Laura Johnson getting into her Smart car at a petrol garage on August 8th. She used the car to chauffeur acquaintances to several shops which they looted.

20-year-old Laura Johnson was sentenced for two years in prison for one count of burglary and two years for one of handling stolen goods, to run concurrently.

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