16-year-old Charged for Murder during London Riots
A 16-year-old has been charged by police in the murder of pensioner Richard Mannington Bowes during the London riots last week. The lad, whose name hasn’t been revealed for legal reasons, was escorted to Croydon Magistrates Court this week with his mum, who has been charged for perverting the course of justice.
Prosecutor John Gardner told the court that the 16-year-old was the one in a mob of teens who surrounded Bowes in Ealing as he was putting out a fire. The pensioner was seen walking from his home alone to the shopping area on Monday, August 8. At about 10:30pm, he was seen standing near a bin attempting to extinguish a blaze that had been started in it. He was then challenged by the lads, when the defendant is said to have punched him. The hit caused the 68-year-old to fall backwards and hit his head on the surface of the road, rendering him unconscious. He was taken to the hospital and never awoke; then on Thursday, August 11, he was pronounced dead.
Gardner noted that authorities watched a lot of CCTV footage, and the attacker was seen wearing a light-coloured jumper that said ‘Robbers and Villains’ on it. He was subsequently arrested and then charged with four counts of burglary, violent disorder and murder. The burglary charges stem from allegations that he stole items from a Fat Boys restaurant, bookmakers William Hill and Tesco Express. The court judge ordered the teen to be remanded until his next appearance on Thursday, August 18, at the Old Bailey - where he will be joined by his mother, who was also refused bail.
This comes as Scotland Yard has reported that almost 1,700 people have been arrested in connection with the riots so far, and 985 of them have been charged. It’s also been reported that 237 police officers have been injured during the turmoil.