A 16-year-old boy accused of murdering a man while on a looting rampage during the London riots will be tried at the Old Bailey, a court heard today.
Richard Bowes (68) died last Thursday after being punched to the ground during widespread violence in Ealing, west London, four days before.
The accused teen, from Hounslow, was remanded in custody as he appeared before magistrates alongside his mother, who is accused of perverting the course of justice.
The teenager, who appeared in the dock in a black T-shirt with his arms crossed, has also been charged with violent disorder and four counts of burglary relating to looting at a William Hill bookmakers, a Tesco Express, a Blockbusters video shop and a Fatboys restaurant.
District Judge Robert Hunter adjourned the case to be heard by a Central Criminal Court judge on Thursday.
The Croydon magistrates’ courtroom was packed with journalists as both the boy and his mother (31) were denied bail.
Mr Bowes, who lived alone in Haven Green, Ealing, was placed on a life-support machine following the attack but died later. A postmortem revealed he died from head injuries.
On Saturday night around 100 people attended a vigil organised by churches in Ealing in Mr Bowes’s memory. It came a day after Ealing Council flew the union flag over its town hall at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Elsewhere, Home Secretary Theresa May today said police may need to be given powers to impose no-go areas following riots across England last week. "Under existing laws, there is no power to impose a general curfew in a particular area and, while curfew conditions can be placed on some offenders, there are only limited powers to impose them on somebody under the age of 16," she said in a speech in London today.
"These are the sorts of changes we need to consider."
Ms May defended plans to cut police budgets as part of the drive to reduce Britain's deficit, saying the savings can be achieved by improving efficiency and pledging there will be no impact on front-line services.
Agencies