City calm after night of riots

Oct 23 2005


The streets of Birmingham were eerily quiet on Sunday night, 24 hours after rioting left a 23-year-old man dead and 35 people injured.

A large number of officers were out patrolling the areas of Lozells and Handsworth after clashes broke out on Saturday night.

Violence erupted after residents attended a public meeting addressing concerns about an unconfirmed sex attack on a 14-year-old Jamaican girl, said to be an illegal immigrant.

The alleged assault had sparked a week of mounting tension among the area's black and Asian communities, culminating in the outbreak.

Shops and pubs were ransacked and cars set on fire during the clash which is thought to have involved up to 50 rioters. Hundreds of police in riot gear were attacked with bricks and bottles.

The dead man, of Afro-Caribbean origin, received a single fatal stab wound in Carlisle Road at about 7pm. The attack is thought to have been the catalyst for the night of "extreme violence".

A police officer was shot in the leg with a ball-bearing gun. He is said to be in a stable condition.

Five people were arrested in connection with the disorder. A further five people were released on police bail after being questioned over allegations of a sexual assault on another woman who came forward following the publicity over the alleged attack on the 14-year-old.

Nine people remained in hospital on Sunday after being treated for injuries suffered in the disturbances, a hospital spokesman said.

Detective Superintendent Dave Mirfield, leading the murder hunt, said police had received 12 reports of gunfire during the disturbances, 80 crimes were reported, with 35 people taken to hospital.

 
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