Teenage looter walks free from court

A teenager who looted a jewellers which suffered £50,000 worth of damage and lost stock during the Wolverhampton riots walked free from court today.

But the identity of the 17-year-old from Willenhall cannot be revealed after a district judge refused an application by the Express & Star to name him, saying he was "in some ways a vulnerable young man".

The boy, who was 16 at the time, stole two rings belonging to EV Beckett as dozens of yobs ran amok in Queen Street. He was arrested as he fled past officers during the rioting on August 9, Wolverhampton Youth Court heard today.

They found two rings with their labels attached as well as a small display stand.

The teenager previously pleaded guilty to one count of theft and one count of threatening behaviour.

District Judge Michael Wheeler handed him a 12-month rehabilitation order, which will see him supervised in the community, saying: "If you were in an adult court the starting point would be a sentence of 12 months in prison. But you are in a youth court and I have to reduce the starting point on account of your age."

He added he would not lift the reporting restrictions preventing the teenager being named because pre-sentence reports had indicated he was vulnerable.

Mr Wheeler added: "You haven't been convicted of burglary or violent disorder, which along with affray, were the most serious offences committed during the riot.

"They are the main types of offending the public have an interest in and I cannot suggest you were a prime mover in what happened that night."