Magistrates wade through UK riot cases

Magistrates in London are ploughing through hearings of people accused of looting and being involved in recent riots.
A steady stream of defendants, ranging from teenagers to people in their 40s, were appearing on Wednesday.
At Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, where cases were heard through the night in a bid to deal with the huge influx, a variety of defendants appeared, including one primary school worker.
Alexis Bailey, 31, from Battersea, south London, who was arrested in Richer Sounds in Southend Road, Croydon, pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal.
The 31-year-old, who, the court heard, works full-time in a primary school in Stockwell and lives with his parents, was given bail but must adhere to a curfew.
His case, along with the majority of others, was committed to Wood Green Crown Court for sentencing.
There were many other surprising looters who didn't fit the profile of poor and disadvantaged. One was 19-year-old Laura Johnson, a millionaire's daughter from Kent.
She was charged with stealing £5,000-worth of electronic goods, including two TVs, a microwave and mobile phones. The goods as well as a 'public order kit' of balaclava, gloves and a bandana were found in a car being driven by the girl.
According to The Daily Mail, the teenager attended one of the top schools in Britain and was a straight A student. Her parents live in a large detached farmhouse with extensive grounds and run a direct marketing company.

An 11-year-old boy was the youngest person to appear at the dock after the riots. He admitted to reaching through a broken window and stealing a £50 waste paper basket on display. The charge of violent disorder was dropped however it emerged that he was already on a 'referral order' for another, unrelated offence.
The UK's Daily Telegraph reported he was bailed and sent to his local court for sentencing, then set off alone down the street before being chased by his mother and aunt and dragged back by the scruff of his neck.
His mother swore at the media and was later seen shouting at her son.
Chair of magistrates Melvyn Marks told the court many of the cases had aggravating features, occurring "in the middle of a very violent riot", which meant magistrates had insufficient sentencing powers.
"Because of the nature of this offence and because of the circumstances, we have taken the view that there are too many aggravating features on this case and our powers of punishment are not enough."