Riot brothers who looted Liverpool library sentenced for their part in violent disorder
Two brothers who looted a community hub and library, which was set alight during riots in the wake of the Southport knife attack, have been jailed.
Adam Wharton, 28 and Ellis Wharton, 22, targeted the burnt-out site in County Road, Walton, Liverpool, where widespread public disorder took place earlier on Saturday August 3 as police officers came under attack.
After the disturbance subsided at about 2am on 4 August, Adam Wharton acted as lookout while his younger brother entered the burnt-out Spellow Hub premises.
The library housed a number of community facilities including a food bank – just a “stone’s throw away” from their home.
A police officer entered the building and caught a masked Ellis Wharton in the act of removing a large computer monitor.
When challenged Ellis Wharton 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.
Adam was arrested shortly afterwards when he was spotted by officers acting suspiciously and later identified as being part of a group who entered the library.
Judge Neil Flewitt KC said he had “no doubt” that Adam Wharton, who has a string of convictions for dishonesty including burglary, had involved and encouraged his younger brother, with no previous convictions.
The judge told the brothers that "appropriate punishment could only be achieved by immediate custody".
Sentencing Adam Wharton to 20 months in jail and Ellis Wharton to 11 months in jail, 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 pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to burglary with intent to steal while Ellis Wharton changed his plea on Thursday to admit assaulting an emergency worker.
Ellis Wharton received an eight-month jail term for the burglary and a consecutive three months sentence for the assault.
Judge Flewitt says to Ellis Wharton: “I accept but for the intervention of your brother you would not have committed the offence of burglary.
“Thankfully, the harm caused to PC Nielsen was modest. This was an offence against a person providing a service to the public.
“I accept you played a subordinate role to your brother and that you immediately expressed remorse for your decision to join him in that enterprise.”
The judge told Adam Wharton: “You are the older man, and I have no doubt you involved and encouraged your younger brother in the commission of this offence.
"There must be a significant upward adjustment in the starting point. Apart from your plea of guilty, there is no mitigation of any real value.
"There is nothing in the information available to me to suggest your culpability is in any way reduced by any mental disorder.”
Assistant Chief Constable Paul White said: “The latest results from court today means there are now seven men in prison following the violent disorder in Southport and Liverpool.
“This should serve as a stark warning to anyone who chooses to take part in such abhorrent behaviour. You will be swiftly arrested and could end up in a jail cell for a considerable amount of time.
“The investigation to identify anyone who took part in the disorder continues and we have now made 44 arrests in total.
"This will only rise as a specialist team reviews hundreds of hours of footage taken of the incidents."
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