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Courts could sit through night to bring 'speedy justice' to violent protesters, policing minister tells LBC
1 August 2024, 20:17 | Updated: 1 August 2024, 20:20
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has told LBC that courts could sit through the night to bring “speedy justice” to those taking part in violent demonstrations.
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Riots have broken out in a number of cities and towns across England in the wake of the Southport Knife attack on Monday in which three girls were killed.
More than 100 people were arrested in London last night following a far-right protest in Whitehall, with further unrest in Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot.
On Tuesday night, more than 50 police officers were injured after an angry mob took to the streets of Southport following a vigil to remember victims of the mass stabbing at the dance and yoga workshop attended by 25 children.
Talking to Tom Swarbrick on LBC, Dame Diana confirmed courts could sit through the night to process arrests in the same way they were following the 2011 riots.
When asked if these measures could be repeated, she said: “Yes and the Prime Minister is again very clear that he wants any behaviour - this criminal violence that is happening on our streets - he wants the full weight of the law to be brought down on these people.
“That means that they are arrested, they are changed and taken through the criminal justice system as quickly as possible."
Whether the courts could be told to speed the processes up, she said: “The Prime Minister was very clear that he wants speedy justice for people engaging in this type of mindless violence on our streets.
“We can't have them waiting months to be dealt with by the criminal justice system so yes - the answer to that question is absolutely yes.”
This comes after the Prime Minister announced a police unit will be set up to tackle violent disorder across the country.
Holding a press conference inside Downing Street, Sir Keir Starmer said he would not allow a "breakdown of law and order on our streets" as he criticised a "tiny, mindless minority in our society" who had forced a "grieving" community to "suffer twice".
Starmer said the riots were "not protest, it's not legitimate - it's crime, violent disorder, an assault on the rule of law and the execution of justice," vowing to put a stop to it.
During his time as director of public prosecutions in the aftermath of the 2011 riots, Starmer reportedly made a visit to Highbury magistrates court at about 4am in one of its night sittings at the height of the demonstrations.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, was charged on Thursday with murdering three girls and with 10 counts of attempted murder after eight other children and two adults were seriously injured in the attack on Monday.
The Cardiff-born teenager could not previously be named due to his age but Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC ruled it could be made public following applications from the media.
Much of the violence in the wake of the attack has been attributed to speculation and misinformation that circulated online around the suspect's identity.
