The rioters who caused mayhem in London in 2011 have gone on to commit 6,000 more crimes in the city, reported Australian news site News.com.au.
Nearly half of the 3,914 rioters who were charged or warned by police in 2011 have since committed more serious crimes, including 12 murders, 21 rapes, 151 crimes with weapons, 719 burglaries, 451 robberies and 180 wounding attacks, reported the outlet.
Five people were killed and 16 people were injured in the so-called “BlackBerry riots,” which also caused $390 million in criminal damage. Police sparked the riots when they shot and killed Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old gang member who they say was armed. Questions surrounding the investigation and doubts about the police version of accounts fueled the riots.
But the new numbers, obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request, cast doubt on the rioters motivation. Dozens of those charged in the riots belong to violent gangs, and have since committed between five and 10 other crimes. Nearly a third of the 6,000 new crimes were drug offenses, including narcotic trafficking.
“These figures show that some of them are still committing serious crimes and prove that the riots were fueled by prolific offenders rather than low-level opportunists,” Deputy London Mayor, Stephen Greenhalgh, told News.com.au. “Many have not been deterred despite prosecuting them more quickly in 2011 and they have gone on to rape and murder in some cases.”
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