Suspected St John’s Wood rioters appear in court

Fifteen men and a 16-year-old boy are expected to be sent to crown court in connection with the siege of two cafes in St John’s Wood.

Up to 50 hooded and masked men armed with knives and lighter fuel laid siege to the two busy eateries in the early hours of Wednesday morning as riots swept the country. Customers of Le Bijou in Lodge Road took sanctuary inside as the group charged a shopping trolley towards them and tried to set fire to a car.

The group moved on to Cafe Rym in Park Road around the corner where they caused more damage, before being chased off by a group of brave customers.

When police arrived on the scene they used CS spray to try and subdue one suspect and held others up with TASER guns. Officers arrested 16 suspected rioters, including a second-year law student and a 16-year-old boy.

Eight of the suspects appeared before magistrates over night and the rest were processed this morning. All were remanded in custody.

For more see next week’s Wood&Vale.