Brothers Ellis and Adam Wharton have been jailed at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting to looting a library in the city during the recent riots that occurred across England, including in Belfast. The riots broke out after misinformation was spread online about the attacker who stabbed three girls to death in Southport. More than 500 people have been arrested, with a quarter of those charged are under the age of 21.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has praised the swift justice that has been administered and that it has been a deterrent to more violent disorder. He told an emergency Cobra meeting on Thursday that police needed to remain on “high alert”. Many police officers were injured, with over 50 officers suffering broken bones, concussion, bruising, and head wounds during a single incident at the Rotherham hotel riot.
Tough sentences are expected to continue with maximum publicity to try and prevent future violence. Almost 6,000 extra public order officers mobilized earlier in the week remain in place. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, urged the government to revisit new social media rules, saying the recent disorder showed regulations due to come into force were “not fit for purpose.”
The Online Safety Act will, for the first time, make firms legally responsible for keeping users safe when they use their services. The biggest platforms could face billions of pounds in fines if they do not comply. After the stabbings in Southport, an incorrect name and a false story around the background of the suspected perpetrator spread online. Mr Khan said this misinformation spread on social media showed reform of the regulation was needed.
Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, has warned that those “intent on violence and destruction have not gone away”. He emphasized the importance of having conversations with young people, children, and teenagers over the next few days as the youngest arrest was an 11-year-old
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