Liverpool riots: First eleven people appear in court after violence and looting

Ten men and a 14-year-old boy who were arrested following riots and looting in Liverpool and Southport last week appeared in court on Monday, charged with violent disorder or burglary offences.

On Saturday (August 3), buildings were set on fire, shops were looted and emergency services were attacked as riots at Liverpool’s Pier Head and city centre spread to County Road in Walton.

The disruption came after three young girls - Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar - were killed in a mass stabbing in Southport last Monday (July 29). The following day in the shell-shocked coastal town, far-right protestors attacked a mosque, threw missiles at police and set fire to vehicles.

Protests by extremist groups, and counter demonstrations by anti-fascist organisations, took place across the UK at the weekend, including in Sheffield, Manchester, Sunderland and Rotherham, with tensions running high.

In Liverpool and Southport, eleven people have been charged following the disruptions and appeared at either Liverpool Magistrates Court, Wirral Magistrates Court or Liverpool Youth Court on Monday for plea hearings.

Liam Riley, 41, of Walton Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and racially-aggravated threatening behaviour in the city centre on Saturday. Joshua Sanderson-Kirk, prosecuting, said: "He was shouting at officers, telling them they were traitors and Muslim lovers." No bail application was made and he was remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing on August 30

Declan Geiran, 29, of Kelso Road, Kensington, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson after an attempt was made to set a police van on fire on William Brown Street in Liverpool city centre. Mr Sanderson-Kirk, prosecuting, said Geiran was seen on CCTV in Liverpool city centre using an 'implement' to set fire to a police Ford Transit van which had been abandoned by officers. He was tracked by CCTV and arrested, the court heard. Geiran was remanded into custody ahead of his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on August 30.

Jimmy Bailey, 45, of Station Avenue, Ellesmere Port, pleaded not guilty to violent disorder in relation to a group throwing stones, bricks and missiles at police in the Paradise Street area of the city centre on Saturday. He was remanded into custody ahead of a another hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on August 30.

A 14-year-old boy from Toxteth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, charged with violent disorder in the city centre after police officers in Clayton Square had fireworks set off in their direction was released on bail. The prosecution said the teenager was also seen outside B&M after the store had been looted.

The court heard the boy said ‘I'm sorry, I wasn't firing them at you, though’, when he was arrested by police after they gave chase. He had five fireworks and a lighter in his possession. The boy, whose father and uncle were in court, has no previous convictions. Iqbal Singh Kang , defending, said the teenager had been in the city centre to catch a bus home, and added: "Without thinking things through, he became involved in something much more serious. It's completely out of the blue." Judge Boswell ordered a pre-sentence report and released the boy on bail, until August 27, on condition he does not enter L1, L2 or L3.

Lloyd Killner, 35, of Burton Road, Lincoln, pleaded not guilty to violent disorder on Stanley Street and Victoria Street, relating to charging and swearing at officers, and throwing missiles. "I was on my own," he told the court. Killner was remanded into custody ahead of a further appearance before Liverpool Crown Court on August 30.

William Nelson Morgan, 69, of Linton Street, Walton, pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon in relation to the riots on County Road on Saturday night. The court heard he was identified in a crowd who were throwing bricks towards officers on County Road on Saturday night and had a wooden baton with him. He resisted arrest and shouted at an officer to get off him when he was detained. Bail was refused and he was remanded into custody ahead of his sentencing at Liverpool Crown on August 29.

Ellis Wharton, 22, of Selwyn Street, Walton, pleaded guilty to the charge burglary and intent to steal at Spellow Hub Library on County Road but not guilty to assaulting PC Thomas Nielsen. Wharton, who had a black eye, was remanded into custody ahead of his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on August 29.

Adam Wharton, 28, also of Selwyn Street in Kirkdale, pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal at Spellow Hub Library. The prosecution say the defendant was stood outside the library wearing a balaclava 'acting as a lookout for his brother' and told the court Wharton has 16 previous convictions for 26 offences, including robbery and burglary. He was remanded into custody ahead of his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on August 29.

Derek Drummond, 58, of Pool Street, Southport, pleaded guilty to violent disorder in the area around Hart Street in Southport on July 30 and the assault emergency worker - namely punching PC Thomas Ball in the face. Mr Sanderson-Kirk, prosecuting, said PC Ball was deployed to the mosque on St Luke's Road, where a group of around 300 people arrived shouting ‘this is our f****** country’ and ‘scumbag bastards’. The prosecution said Drummond then went on to throw bricks at police, but the defence dispute this. He was remanded into custody ahead of his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on August 29.

John Paul O’Malley, 43, of Cambridge Gardens, Southport entered a guilty plea on charge of violent disorder on the basis that he did not throw any missiles at police during the disturbance in Southport on Tuesday. The plea was 'not accepted at this stage' and the judge remanded O’Malley into custody ahead of his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on August 29.

Gareth Metcalfe, 44, of Cambridge Gardens, Southport, appeared in court charged with violent disorder in the coastal town but he did not make a plea. He is remanded into custody and will appear in crown court on August 29.