THE AIR conditioned confines of Courts 9 and 10 of Croydon Magistrates Court provided the setting for the first glimpse of those who had been involved in the disturbances on Monday night.
All day long a steady stream of defendants found themselves having to answer for the looting and mayhem that turned central Croydon into an anarchic free-for-all. The ethnic identities, age profile and social background of those involved were much more diverse than initial accounts suggested.
One white girl, aged 19, who is studying to be a dental assistant pleaded to be released from custody to sit a dental examination on Monday. She came from a good home, her family were in court, a conviction would be determental to her future prospects, her solicitor said.
His pleadings were in vain. Of the 36 defendants who appeared in front of the courts yesterday, only one was released from custody and that was a 14-year-old girl who had been in care.
She was caught stealing a Samsung camera and a games console from Argos and was released simply because the court had no powers to detain her.
Neither were most of those involved the type of serial criminals that one would expect to be caught up in such venality and looting.
Of the 36, 25 had no previous convictions. One was a mop topped teenager who was allegedly caught in the House of Fraser in Croydon with a bag that included aftershave. He was “in the thick of it”, the prosecution lawyer said.
His mother and grandmother watched on as his defence solicitor outlined how the 18-year-old had completed two A levels, was doing a design course and was due to start a work placement. He was from a good family and they were shocked at what had happened.
The two nights he had already spent in police custody had a “very dramatic impact” on him, but District judge Robert Hunter was having none of it.
He detained him for another week at her majesty’s pleasure. The teenager, whose head was stooped during the short hearing, sobbed before being taken away.
In every case the two judges involved declined jurisdiction, a sign of the potential seriousness with which all these offences are being regarded.
A magistrate’s court can impose a maximum sentence of only six months. The crown court can impose sentences of up to 10 years.
Judge Hunter told several of the defendants that their actions showed a “lack of self control and a lack of respect for authority”. They could not be released “in the current climate”. The crown prosecutor mentioned “copycat incidents”.
The age profile of those involved was considerably mixed. It included a 43-year-old man, who suffers from schizophrenia and lives in a hostel, and his 38-year-old companion, who also had a history of mental health problems, and who had been caught urinating against a wall. They were charged with stealing from a bakery.
A 34-year-old illegal immigrant from Jamaica, who was nabbed by police with a football shirt from a looted store, was remanded in custody when it was found that he had no address.
One 21-year-old was caught in Staples a store that incurred £100,000 worth of arson damage and was looted of £50,000 worth of goods. The court was told that the defendant came from a good family, he had his own apartment provided by his Nigerian father who owned a shipping business and he was a “vital part” of it.
The defendant had worn gloves and a scarf “because it was cold”. Moreover, he had no previous convictions. He was refused bail.
His companion’s case had to be heard in the cells because he kept shouting the judge down.
The 19-year-old complained of having mental health issues. “Where does Cameron get money to cut his holiday short and I don’t get money for housing benefit?” he asked in the absence of the judge.
Several hundred people have been arrested over the Croydon riots. Most were sent to other courts to clear the backlog. One who appeared at Highbury magistrates court was a 31-year-old primary school teaching assistant.
Alexis Bailey walked into a lamppost while trying to conceal his face from the media. He pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal and was released on conditional bail to be sentenced at a later date.