Mother shouts ‘love ya’ as her sons are jailed for looting library

A tearful mother shouted ‘love ya’ as her two thug sons were jailed for looting a library and food bank during the riots – with dozens more facing court today. 

Adam Wharton, 28 and Ellis Wharton, 22, raided the burnt-out site in Walton, Liverpool, following unrest in the city on Saturday. 

Their mother cried in the public gallery at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday as Adam was jailed for 20 months and Ellis for 11 months, with Adam giving her the thumbs up and saying ‘I’ll ring you later’.

Meanwhile, police in Weymouth arrested Jason Barry Francis, 38, in a dawn raid today before he was charged with violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker during riots in the town on Sunday.

A major clampdown has seen more than 150 people already charged over the riots, and with this number growing rapidly suspects will continue appearing in court throughout today. 

Amid chaos in Liverpool on August 3, Adam Wharton acted as lookout while his younger brother entered the Spellow Hub premises, which housed a number of facilities including a community centre, a library and a food bank.

PC Thomas Nielsen entered the building at around 2am and caught a masked Ellis Wharton carrying a rucksack and in the act of removing a large computer monitor, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

When challenged Ellis took up a ‘fighting stance’, the court heard, as the officer attempted to restrain him and the defendant responded by lashing out and striking him in the chest.

The officer suffered no significant injury and was helped by colleagues to detain the burglar who suffered a black eye while being subdued.

Judge Neil Flewitt KC said he had ‘no doubt’ that Adam, who has a string of convictions including multiple burglary offences, had involved and encouraged his younger brother, with no previous convictions, into committing the burglary.

He told Ellis Wharton: ‘Further I accept that but for the intervention of your brother you would not have committed the offence.’

Sentencing Adam Wharton to 20 months in jail and Ellis Wharton to 11 months in custody the judge said: ‘The Spellow Hub was a valuable local resource and its loss will be felt deeply by the community.

‘Although your offending amounts in law to the offence of burglary, your conduct is more commonly described as ‘looting’, a despicable crime in which the offender seeks to profit from the misery of others.’

Both men from Selwyn Street, Walton, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to burglary with intent to steal, while Ellis Wharton changed his plea yesterday to admit assaulting an emergency worker.

Ellis Wharton received an eight-month jail term for the burglary and a consecutive three-month sentence for the assault.

Prosecutor Chris Taylor said when Ellis Wharton was handcuffed outside the hub he told officers: I’m sorry, I have been blackmailed by my brother to do it. I made a stupid decision.’

Brendan Carville, defending Ellis Wharton, said: ‘He is the idiot who went into the premises while his brother stood outside.

‘He is the one caught red-handed. He had never put a foot wrong in his life. I submit he is a person who has been used by his brother. His remorse was instant.’ 

Barrister John Rowan told the court that since 2016 he had legally represented Adam, who had amassed 16 convictions for 28 offences from May 2011 to March 2021 including two custodial sentences for residential burglaries.

He said: ‘He wants it known that he is deeply ashamed and disgusted with himself.’

Today police released photos of a dawn raid on the Weymouth home of Jason Barry Francis, who will appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court today.

An estimated 200 Stand Up to Racism activists and 400 anti-immigration protesters gathered last Sunday, with officers moving people off the beach as evening fell.

Dorset Police later revealed one officer was hit in the face by a bottle and another was punched in the face, with at least four people having now been arrested.

Rumours were allegedly circulating that asylum seekers currently living on the Bibby Stockholm barge would be moved to Portland, Weymouth or another part of Dorset.

Others charged in relation to the protest included David Fuller, 66, of Yeovil, for allegedly being drunk and disorderly in a public place. He will appear at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on August 22.

Police also issued a conditional caution to a 27-year-old man from Weymouth who was arrested on suspicion of assault.

And a 42-year-old man from Yeovil arrested on suspicion of public order offences and further arrested on suspicion of obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of their duty was released on police bail while police inquiries continue.

Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan said today: ‘Our approach to recent demonstrations has been clear, we will facilitate safe and legal protest but we must balance this with minimising impact on our communities.

‘Where individuals are suspected of committing public order or criminal offences, we will deal with this robustly as this will not be tolerated.

‘Dorset Police has a team of officers dedicated to reviewing crime reports and video footage of protest activity in order to identify any crimes that may have been committed. These will be swiftly investigated with suspected offenders being put before the courts.

‘Our role is to facilitate safe and legal protest and where individuals are intent on acting outside of the law, they can face arrest either during demonstrations or in the immediate aftermath. We are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service in order to seek swift justice.’

Other people arrested in the violent disorder across the UK over the past week will appear in court today, with about 150 charges having already been brought over the unrest.

Suspected rioters will be at magistrates’ courts across the UK including in Liverpool, Llandudno, South Tyneside and Wirral.

Four people also face jail at Newcastle Crown Court following violent disorder in Sunderland.

At Inner London Crown Court, Ozzie Cush will be sentenced for assaulting an emergency worker in Westminster on July 30.

Teesside Crown Court will see three Middlesbrough rioters and one Darlington rioter face prison sentences and in Sheffield, Kenzie Roughley, 18, will be sentenced for violent disorder outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

Meanwhile Tyler Kay, 26, and Jordan Parlour, 28, are set to be the first to face jail for stirring up racial hatred following the widespread disorder.

Parlour indicated he admitted posting on Facebook between August 1 and August 5 in connection with the nationwide violent disorder.

The defendant, of Seacroft, Leeds, will appear at the city’s crown court after being remanded into custody on Tuesday.

Kay is due to appear at Northampton Crown Court charged with publishing written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting, intending thereby to stir up racial hatred.

His online posts are also connected to the widespread disorder, and he was previously remanded in custody.

Joining Parlour at Leeds Crown Court are Sameer Ali and Adnan Ghafoor who will be sentenced for the charge of affray, and Jordan Plain for racially aggravated harassment.

At least a dozen people were jailed yesterday for their part in the riots of the past ten days.

Sir Keir Starmer said swift justice, including sentencing, has been a deterrent to more violent disorder.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister addressed his third emergency Cobra meeting since the first riot in Southport on July 30 and after many planned protests failed to materialise on Wednesday night.

Sir Keir told the meeting that police need to remain on ‘high alert’.

He is understood to have said there was no doubt that levels of policing in the right places and swift justice over the past week, including sentencing, have acted as a deterrent to disorder.

Earlier yesterday, he told reporters that Wednesday night’s events turned out ‘much better than was expected’ and ‘anybody involving themselves in disorder, whatever they claim as their motive, will feel the full force of the law’.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said the arrests total stood at 483 by yesterday afternoon, but this is expected to ‘continue to rise significantly’.