Two arsonists have been convicted this week following separate incidents in last summer’s London riots.
Andrew Burls, 23, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being caught on camera looting and setting fires in Peckham with his face covered. Police were able to identify him by an unusual distinctive feature however – his crossed eyes.
The sentence is the longest yet to be handed down to any individual following last summer’s riots, after Burls admitted causing nearly GB pound 1.2m worth of damage and leaving six people homeless.
Burls seen with a lighter
Police studied hours of CCTV footage and observed an individual, later identified as Burls, smashing the windows of an Iceland store in Peckham Town Centre and leading an attack on the premises.
He is then seen entering a post office on Rye Lane where he placed burning materials onto a pile of documents.
He is then seen approaching a lingerie shop on the same road with what is thought to be a lighter. Shortly after entering the premises the building is ablaze. The fire quickly spread to the bakery next door above which there were several residential properties.
Detective Inspector Daniel O’Sullivan, said, “Burls’s actions during the disorder and criminality we saw in Southwark in August not only showed a complete disregard for the law and his own community, but a total disregard for the lives of the people who lived above the premises he recklessly set alight and the damage he has caused.
“Today has seen the longest prison sentence given in relation to the disorder in Southwark, which reflects the seriousness of these offences.”
Compelling images
Gordon Thompson meanwhile has this week pleaded guilty to the arson of the furniture shop in Croydon that provided some of the most compelling images of the disturbances in August.
He admitted deliberately setting fire to a sofa which went on to destroy the family business that had stood for 125 years as well as a number of residential properties across the road.
It was here that the iconic image of a woman jumping from her burning home into the arms of rescuers was taken.
Thompson is due to be sentenced on 11 April.
Average sentence four times the average
Ministry of Justice figures released yesterday show that nearly 1,500 people have been convicted in offences related to the England riots.
The average sentence of 14.2 months is four times the average sentence of similar offences committed in 2010, and 89% of those convicted were male.
