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Rioter profile: 'She said: Go on, son, dash the brick at them'

PUBLISHED December 7, 2011
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Boy, 14, from London who says he threw a brick at a police officer

I think we were walking, me and my friend and we came across a big crowd. We were talking to them and we followed them ... I didn't do it because of Mark Duggan died. Well, that was the reason why it started, but that wasn't why no one was doing it, they were going to get stuff ? We saw them all doing it and we were like: "You know, like, why shouldn't we do it?" Then our mums were like: "Where was we?" and we were like: "Oh, we were at the skate park," and then they were like: "Doing what?" and I was like: "Skating."

And then, everyone I know who done it are starting to get paranoid. Whenever they see police ? they'll run ? I just stand there, innit. All I got was a pair of trainers and it was me that done it so, like, don't do the crime if you can't do the time ...

Because people that actually done it for Mark Duggan, people that was too scared to do it, they were looking up to you. We saw a black lady in the car, she was like: "Go on son, dash the brick at them, dash the brick at them."

I looked at her, then I looked at the policeman, then he run up to me and I went: "What!" then [I] threw the brick at him ... It never hit him, it went like [over his shoulder]. Then they were running [at] you with their things [riot shields] ...

Once everyone started smashing shops the temptation gets to you and you think: "Oh, eff it," and you just go it and take what you want ... We were looking at all stuff people was coming out the shops with ... and I was like, there was some trainers I wanted to buy from [a shop], some white ones, yeah ... so I just went inside and got them.

Then once you do it and nothing's happened, yeah, you're like: "Oh my gosh!' and you're like: "This is a once in a lifetime thing," you're going to get everything you want for free.

And for me, yeah, I'm trying not to slip into the tracks of my family and try to be successful and not end up in prison like most of my family ...

My mum did [find out]. She was giving me a big lecture about it, was like: "Shall I tell the police?"

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