Rioters warned of ‘regret’ as lawyers recall ‘brutal’ court response to 2011 London riots

As the far-right continue to participate in violence and disorder across the country in response to the deaths of three girls in a stabbing in Southport earlier this week, comparisons continue to be made to the London riots of 2011 – what with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer being director of public prosecutions at the time and attention now turning to the lengthy process of making sure perpetrators face justice.

The Telegraph reports Ministry of Justice officials are in conversation with the judiciary, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police chiefs around having magistrates’ courts sitting for 24 hours a day - just to get through the number of arrests made this week.

If implemented, it would involve the triggering of the ‘Additional Courts Protocol’, which was used 13 years ago with the London riots.

While the circumstances were different back then (the disorder in the capital was sparked by the fatal shooting of a 29-year-old Black man named Mark Duggan by police, as opposed to this week’s riots being borne out of misinformation surrounding the Southport incident), those who were involved in the court cases following the 2011 riots have been issuing strong warnings to those considering taking part in the latest violence.

Nazir Afzal, a former CPS prosecutor, noted video evidence was examined “for months” to bring thousands of offenders to justice – with some arrests not taking place until a year later and the “usual sentence” for perpetrators being imprisonment:

Meanwhile barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind recalled visiting cells after the 2011 riots and noted the “regret” which comes “once the booze and adrenaline subside”:

Robin Murray, a solicitor from Kent, described the CPS as being “brutal” in its handling of cases back in 2011 following the riots that year, with bail refused ahead of court “however minor their involvement”.

In a message to those “who think it would be fun to join a far-right riot”, he wrote: “You can expect your lives to be turned upside down as civil society at times can react with a savageness that matches your own in order to protect the wider community.

“You will be entitled to legal representation but even the best lawyers will struggle to save you from a judicial system geared up to send you a message. If you riot/break the law expect ruthless retribution.

“So don’t get caught up in this, stay home and don’t ruin your lives. Re-evaluate.”

In addition to violence in Southport, the far-right have also clashed with police in Sunderland, Manchester, Stoke and Hull, with footage from Liverpool showing bricks being thrown at police.

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