‘Swift action sends a warning to offenders and deters future riots’
CPS leader Lionel Idan that trust in communities is vital to delivering justice
By Rithika SiddharthaAug 16, 2024
SPEEDY convictions and the sentencing of perpetrators behind the recent violent public disorder in towns and cities across England are sending a message of deterrence as well as reassurance for communities that there will be consequences for actions, a senior criminal justice official has said.
Lionel Idan is the chief crown prosecutor for London South and CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) national lead for hate crime.
In an interview with Eastern Eye last Friday (9), he hoped the swift action by the police and courts in recent days served as a “warning to those who are tempted, who might think it’s just a post, it’s just a tweet, but actually, if you cross that line into criminality, we will prosecute you, and you will get significant sentences”.
He also stressed the significance of building and retaining trust in communities and the criminal justice system.
“Trust underpins everything we do, and if we don’t have that trust, we can’t bring offenders to justice,” Idan said.
Lionel Idan
More than 500 people have been charged for taking part in riots across England, following a July 29 stabbing which left three young girls dead.
On Monday (12), two 12-year-old boys admitted to their involvement in the disorder, becoming the youngest to confess to taking part in the riots.
One of the boys pleaded guilty to two charges of violent disorder at a court in Manchester. He was accused throwing a missile at a police van during as part of a group that gathered outside a Manchester hotel housing asylum seekers.
Idan described how prosecutors in London, Liverpool and other areas were working round the clock to bring charges as police investigated cases and authorities acted to clamp down on violent demonstrations targeting asylum seekers, refugees and minority groups.
“As soon as the police have someone, we can give real time advice,” Idan said, in contrast to normal times when the police investigate a case and refer it to the CPS in a process that takes a few days or weeks before a conviction is secured.
“What we’re doing is literally being in touch with the police throughout the day… the night, and giving advice on charge; that’s why we’re able to deal with these cases much more quickly,” he said.
“We’ve got people on standby. If there’s any concern around a sudden spike, we can respond, because we have got people on standby as well.
“It is so important that there is a strong public message this sort of behaviour is not acceptable, the quicker you can deal with that behaviour, the quicker that message can get through.
“That’s why we’re throwing everything we can at this to make sure we get those decisions quickly and those cases through the court system. We’re getting sentences quickly, they’re not being adjourned off.
“The prison service, the court service, us, the police, the judiciary. Everyone’s working closely on this.”
The far-right violence came after misinformation spread about the identity of the alleged perpetrator of the mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the seaside town of Southport. False rumours spread online that the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker, sparking the disturbances. A 12-year-old boy admitted to violent disorder in Liverpool youth court for his role in riots in Southport the day after the knife attack. He will be sentenced on September 17.
Others included a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court. There have been no major incidents reported since last Wednesday (7).
But the protests have left scores of police officers injured and a number of businesses were looted.
Hotels housing asylum seekers were attacked and mosques were targeted in Southport, Liverpool and Sunderland.
More than 900 people have so far been arrested and around 500 charged with various offences, including for criminal damage and online hate speech.
Some of those convicted have already been jailed for years-long terms.
Idan conceded it was hard to pin down the reasons for the flare-up of violent disorder as it can be difficult to predict how things will turn. He cited the case of a defendant at his 18th birthday, who left the celebration at home to commit crime.
“I mean, you cannot predict (it). Sadly, we’ve seen people with no previous convictions getting involved. The drivers for this, whether it’s social media, something else, it’s unpleasant, and it’s very difficult to predict at the moment,” he said.
What Idan was certain about, though, was the deterring effect of swift justice.
He recalled how in August 2011, as civil unrest spread across London and other cities, “when we were getting sentences quickly, we certainly saw a deterrent effect”.
He added, “So there is no doubt that doing this swiftly is sending a message.
“Now, that message is one of deterrence, that you will be found, taken to court, prosecuted and sentenced. It’s certainly going to put some people off, I hope, from doing what they’re doing, but I also hope it gives a bit of reassurance to our communities. We have heard stories of the fear, distress, anguish, that sense of not knowing whether it’s going to be you, your family, friends, your home, place of worship – that’s awful.
A vigil to mourn the victims in Southport last Monday
“Not many people, unless you felt it, can grasp that feeling of fear and uncertainty. So, I really hope it’s not just a deterrent effect, but what we’re doing will provide some reassurance to people that you cannot if you do this, you cannot hide between us and the police, we will find you and we will prosecute you.”
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, a former head of the prosecution service, has vowed to deliver swift justice to deter more violence and some sentencings have been televised, a rarity in Britain.
Police have also churned out names and photos of those convicted, in a bid to make the criminal justice system’s response highly visible.
The importance of such measures is not lost on Idan. He said, “Simply because we charge cases quickly, everyone trusts the system, everyone trusts the police. That would actually be very naive. We have to do so much more work around building trust and retaining trust.
“For me, building confidence, building trust, it’s not a one-off. You don’t just do something as a flash in the pan and somehow everyone trusts you.
“We have got to look how we engage, how we communicate, whether we drop a case, whether we charge a case, or we don’t charge a case.
“These are all key issues we’ve got to think about, how we support victims from particular communities, how we do it, do we actually listen and learn if something goes wrong, if we get feedback?
“These are all the factors, the pillars that build trust. These are all just small threads we need to weave together, and it’s not the one answer.
“Trust underpins everything we do, and if we don’t have that trust, we can’t bring offenders to justice. The members of the community sit on juries. Members of the community have to report crime, have to be witnesses. If they don’t have trust in the system, how can we expect to bring justice?
“It’s key that we continue to build that confidence and retain it, as well.
FOREIGN SECRETARY David Lammy arrived in Delhi on Saturday (7) for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening economic and security ties with India, following the landmark free trade agreement finalised last month.
During his visit, Lammy will hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and is scheduled to meet prime minister Narendra Modi, as well as commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
According to a statement, the discussions will focus on bilateral ties in areas of trade, defence and security, building on the ambitious free trade agreement (FTA) finalised on May 6.
The FTA represents the biggest deal the UK has finalised since leaving the European Union. Under the agreement, 99 per cent of Indian exports will be exempt from tariffs, while making it easier for British firms to export whisky, cars and other products to India.
"India was one of my first visits as Foreign Secretary, and since then has been a key partner in the delivery of our Plan for Change," Lammy said. "Signing a free trade agreement is just the start of our ambitions - we're building a modern partnership with India for a new global era. We want to go even further to foster an even closer relationship and cooperate when it comes to delivering growth, fostering innovative technology, tackling the climate crisis and delivering our migration priorities."
The minister will also welcome progress on migration partnerships, including ongoing efforts to safeguard citizens and secure borders in both countries. Migration remains a top priority for the government, with Lammy focused on working with international partners to strengthen the UK's border security.
Business investment will also feature prominently in the discussions, with Lammy set to meet leading Indian business figures to explore opportunities for greater Indian investment in Britain.
The current investment relationship already supports over 600,000 jobs across both countries, with more than 950 Indian-owned companies operating in the UK and over 650 British companies in India. For five consecutive years, India has been the UK's second-largest source of investment projects.
The talks will also address regional security concerns, with India expected to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan with the foreign secretary. The UK played a role in helping to de-escalate tensions during last month's military conflict between India and Pakistan, following the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir.
Lammy had previously visited Islamabad from May 16, during which he welcomed the understanding between India and Pakistan to halt military actions.
His visit is also expected to lay the groundwork for a possible trip to New Delhi by prime minister Keir Starmer. This is Lammy's second visit to India as foreign secretary, following his inaugural trip in July when he announced the UK-India Technology Security Initiative focusing on collaboration in telecoms security and emerging technologies.
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Seema Misra was wrongly imprisoned in 2010 after being accused of stealing £75,000 from her Post Office branch in Surrey, where she was the subpostmistress. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
SEEMA MISRA, a former sub-postmistress from Surrey who was wrongly jailed in the Post Office scandal, told MPs that her teenage son fears she could be sent to prison again.
Misra served five months in jail in 2010 after being wrongly convicted of theft. She said she was pregnant at the time, and the only reason she did not take her own life was because of her unborn child, The Times reported.
Speaking at a meeting in parliament on Tuesday, she said, “It affects our whole family. My 13-year-old younger son said, ‘Mummy, if the Post Office put you back in prison don’t kill yourself — you didn’t kill yourself [when you were in prison] because I was in your tummy. What if they do it again?’”
Misra, who wore an electronic tag when giving birth, supported a campaign to change the law around compensation for miscarriages of justice.
In 2014, the law was changed under Lord Cameron, requiring victims to prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt to receive compensation. Campaigners say this has resulted in only 6.6 per cent of claims being successful, down from 46 per cent, and average payouts dropping from £270,000 to less than £70,000.
Sir David Davis called the rule change an “institutional miscarriage of justice” during prime minister’s questions and urged the government to act.
Dame Vera Baird, interim head of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, has also announced a full review of the body’s operations, following years of criticism over its performance.
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Masum, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, was remanded in custody by Justice Cotter and is due to stand trial for murder on Monday.
He also denied two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill and one charge of stalking. During a previous hearing, the court was told those charges relate to incidents over two days in November 2023.
The stalking charge alleges Masum tracked Akter between November and April, found her location at a safe house, sent threatening messages including photos and videos, loitered near her temporary residence, and caused her alarm or distress and fear of violence.
Akter was attacked at around 15:20 BST on Westgate near Drewton Road. She later died in hospital. Masum was arrested in Aylesbury after a three-day manhunt by West Yorkshire Police.
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At the centre of the dispute is a pay row between the cash-strapped city council and workers belonging to Unite which says some staff employed by the council stand to lose £8,000 per year under a planned restructuring of the refuse service.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said a proposal by Birmingham City Council was not in line with an offer discussed in May in talks under a conciliation service.
She accused the Labour "government commissioners and the leaders of the council" of watering it down.
"It beggars belief that a Labour government and Labour council is treating these workers so disgracefully," she said. "Unite will not allow these workers to be financially ruined –- the strikes will continue for as long as it takes."
Although non-unionised workers have been collecting bins during the strike the industrial action continues to cause disruption to rubbish removal resulting in concerns about rats and public health.
The dispute in the city of over a million people, known for its industrial past and multicultural character, is an illustration of the budgetary pressures facing many other local authorities across the country.
A council spokesperson denied there had been any watering down of the deal.
"This is a service that needs to be transformed to one that citizens of Birmingham deserve and the council remains committed to resolving this dispute, the spokesperson said.
"We have made a fair and reasonable offer that we have asked Unite to put to their members and we are awaiting their response.”
Council defends ‘ambitious’ vision for city, reports LDRS
In another development, Birmingham council has defended an “ambitious” plan for the city’s future despite the vision being slammed as “devoid of reality”.
The local authority’s corporate plan sets out the priorities for Birmingham over the next three years and how it intends to overcome the issues which have recently plagued the council.
In a bid to make the city fairer, greener and healthier, the Labour-run council’s plan explores how it can tackle critical challenges such as housing need, health inequalities, unemployment and child poverty.
Bags of rubbish and bins overflow on the pavement in the Sparkbrook area on June 02, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
But the council’s vision came under fire during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (3) with Conservative group leader Robert Alden pointing to its aspiration of improving street cleaning and waste services.
He went on to say the city’s bins service was currently not operating properly as the ongoing bins strike continues to take its toll.
“This plan is devoid of the reality of the situation the council finds itself in,” he argued. “That’s a fundamental problem as to why it will fail.
“Residents expect the city to balance the books and to clean the streets – this corporate plan doesn’t do it.
Councillor Alden added: “A lot of officer time and resources have been spent producing yet more colourful, lovely dossiers to hand out and claim that the future will be different.”
Acknowledging the financial turmoil which has plagued the authority, council leader John Cotton said the Labour administration had made significant progress in “fixing the foundations”.
He continued: “Fixing those foundations is essential if we’re going to deliver on ambitions for this city – and we should make no apology for being ambitious for Birmingham and its people.
“This is exactly what this corporate plan is about – it’s about looking forward to the future.”
Cotton went on to say the plan sets out the council’s “high level ambitions” and “major targets” for the city over the next few years.
“It’s also underpinned by a lot of detailed policy and strategy that’s come before this cabinet previously,” he said.
“It’s important not to just look at one document – we need to look at this being the guiding document that governs all the other work that this council is undertaking.”
Deputy leader Coun Sharon Thompson added: “We have to be ambitious for the residents of Birmingham – that is we are committed to doing whilst also fixing some of the issues which opposition [councillors] have highlighted.
“The world is changing, innovation is coming upon us and we cannot let Birmingham be left behind.”
She added that having a Labour government working with the council would “make a difference” when it came to tackling some of the city’s most pressing issues compared to the previous 13 years.
Birmingham City Council also has plans to transform its waste collection service in a bid to boost the efficiency and reliability of bin collections.
But the bins strike dispute between itself and Unite the union remains unresolved, with striking workers raising concerns about pay while the council’s leadership has repeatedly insisted that a “fair and reasonable” offer has been made.
The all-out citywide strike has been running since March and has attracted unwanted headlines from across the world, with tales of ‘cat-sized rats’ and rubbish mountains making headlines.
(AFP and Local Democracy Reporting Service)
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He spoke to Raj Shamani on a four-hour-long podcast released on Thursday.
When asked if his situation worsened because he didn’t return to India, Mallya said, “If I have assurance of a fair trial and a dignified existence in India, you may be right, but I don’t.” Asked if he would consider coming back if given such an assurance, he responded, “If I am assured, absolutely, I will think about it seriously.”
He added, “There are other people who the government of India is targeting for extradition from the UK back to India in whose case, they have got a judgment from the high court of appeal that Indian detention conditions are violative of article 3 of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) and therefore they can’t be sent back.”
On being labelled a “fugitive”, Mallya said, “Call me a fugitive for not going to India post-March (2016). I didn’t run away, I flew out of India on a prescheduled visit… fair enough, I did not return for reasons that I consider are valid… but where is the ‘chor’ (thief) coming from… where is the ‘chori’ (theft)?”
The Indian government has not responded to Mallya’s claims.
In April, Mallya lost an appeal against a London high court bankruptcy order in a case involving over ₹11,101 crore (approx. £95.7 million) debt to lenders including the State Bank of India.
In February, he moved the Karnataka High Court seeking details of loan recoveries. His legal counsel said banks had recovered ₹14,000 crore (approx. £120.7 million) despite the original dues being ₹6,200 crore (approx. £53.4 million). The court issued notices to banks and loan recovery officers.