A looter, who killed a pensioner with a single punch as the victim tried to extinguish a fire during riots in West London last summer, has been jailed for eight years.
Darrell Desuze, 17, (pic.bottom) of Bath Road, Hounslow punched 68 year-old Richard Bowes (pic.top) in the face – causing him to fall and strike his head on the ground.
He pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court to manslaughter and violent disorder in Springbridge Road, Ealing on August 8, last year and burgling four nearby shops immediately afterwards.
His mother, Lavinia Desuze, 31, received 18 months for perverting the course of justice after she dumped her son’s clothes in a bid to destroy important forensic evidence.
Police did not comment whether the killing was racially-motivated.
Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Rowell, Borough Commander at Ealing, said: “Whilst today's sentencing has concluded the investigation into the killing of an innocent man last summer's violence in Ealing, we continue to investigate and pursue those involved in the disorder.
“We have already examined hundreds of hours of CCTV and continue to do so, this will inevitably lead to further arrests in the near future.
“Mr Bowes was an innocent man trying to do the decent and honest thing of protecting life and property; tragically he lost his life whilst doing so.”
In Ealing at around 10:00pm Desuze became involved in one of many stand-offs against the police, during which hostile mobs threw missiles at officers.
A number of fires were also being deliberately lit and shop windows and cars were being smashed.
At around 10:30pm along Springbridge Road, officers came under sustained attack from rocks, bricks and glass bottles.
On the same road, at 10:45pm, Mr Bowes attempted to extinguish a fire which was started in an industrial rubbish bin.
As he tried to stop the blaze, Desuze went up to Mr Bowes and punched him in the face.
He fell backwards and struck the pavement.
Desuze, who left Mr Bowes lying motionless on the ground, went on to loot shops close by, including William Hill, Tesco Express, Fat Boys Thai restaurant and Blockbusters.
Officers who went to his aid then became the subject of continual missile attacks from a hostile mob around them.
Mr Bowes was taken by ambulance to St Mary's Hospital in a critical condition with severe head injuries. He remained in intensive care for three days and sadly died on August 11.
A post mortem examination held on August 11 at Uxbridge mortuary and gave the cause of death as a head injury.
Prior to Mr Bowes' death, detectives had already begun the detailed and laborious task of going through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage in connection with his assault and the widespread rioting.
Media appeals to trace the suspect then followed.
Members of the public, some of whom had witnessed and recorded events first-hand, began to provide information and pass on recordings made on personal mobile devices on the night.
A number of these recordings have formed the basis of crucial evidence presented at court.
On the night Desuze had been wearing a distinctive black hooded sweatshirt which had a "Robbers and Villains" logo across the front, and a white t-shirt underneath.
These were items of clothing which Lavinia Desuze immediately recognised via the circulated images released by police, as belonging to her son.
She found the garments, tore them up, and dumped them in a number of public dustbins in Hounslow.
No comments:
Post a Comment