The mother of two boys jailed for theft after a library was burnt and looted during the Liverpool riots shouted “thank you judge” as her boys were led away.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Adam Wharton, 28, and his brother Ellis Wharton, 22, pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal from Speraw Lane Library.
Ellis Wharton, who was found wearing a mask and holding a computer screen inside the library about 2am on Sunday, also admitted assaulting emergency medical officer Constable Thomas Nielsen during his arrest.
Prosecutor Chris Taylor said the officer was wearing bulletproof vest and “thankfully” was not seriously injured, but the defendant appeared in court with bruising around his eye sustained during the struggle.
He was apologetic and said his brother had “threatened” him, telling him to “go rob him”, Taylor said.
Lookout Adam Wharton was arrested nearby while wearing a balaclava. The court heard that Wharton had 16 convictions for 28 offences including attempted robbery, robbery, theft, assault and burglary and had previously served prison sentences.
Judge Neil Flewitt KC said the crime was not “racially or religiously vicious” but was committed against an entire community and that the brothers had made a “deliberate decision” to leave their home and “steal anything of value they could find”. “Your actions are commonly described as predatory, but this is a despicable crime in which criminals seek to profit from the misfortune of others,” the judge told the brothers.
His mother broke down in tears in the courtroom as Adam Wharton was sentenced to 20 months in prison, with his brother jailed for eight months.
“I love you,” she cried out to her sons as they were led away to their cells, then yelled, “Judge, can I thank you?”
Speaking outside court, she made it clear she expected the sentence to be much harsher, saying it was “lighter than I expected.”