Six jailed for riots police attack

Five men and a teenage boy have been given lengthy jail terms for a "concerted attack on the police" in which officers and a force helicopter were shot at during last summer's riots.

A judge said it was only luck that nobody was struck by bullets in the disorder and described the potential consequences of the police helicopter being brought down by gunfire as "catastrophic". Police said they could have been dealing with a murder inquiry.

Jermaine Lewis, 27, Nicholas Francis, 26, Wayne Collins, 25, and Renardo Farrell and Tyrone Laidley, both 20, were part of a gang that petrol bombed a Birmingham pub in a ploy to lure police to the scene. All five were convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, reckless arson and riot. Amirul Rehman, 17, was convicted of riot and possession of a firearm.

A six-week trial heard that the defendants were part of a group of 41 men - mostly masked and wearing hoods - who were rioting outside The Bartons Arms in Aston on the evening of August 9.

The landmark pub was broken into, ransacked and set ablaze, while four members of staff were in living quarters upstairs. A specialist police unit of around 30 unarmed officers deployed to the scene was pelted with missiles before at least 12 shots were fired.

Dramatic CCTV footage released by police shows a large group of men - some armed with baseball bats - gathered outside the pub throwing things into the road, and smashing windows. One man - said by the prosecution to be Laidley - can be seen taking aim at the police helicopter with a handgun.

Sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge William Davis QC said: "The common purpose was to behave in such a way that the police would come to the scene and then to attack the police.

"The intention was to endanger life. Although no physical injury was suffered, that was wholly a matter of luck. Had the police helicopter been struck, the consequences could have been catastrophic."

Francis, from Great Barr, Birmingham, was described by the judge as "clearly a dangerous man" and jailed for 30 years. Lewis of Summerton Road, Oldbury, West Midlands, and Laidley of Nechells, Birmingham, were each sentenced to 23 years.

Farrell, of Finchfield, Wolverhampton and Collins, of Ouseley Close, Luton, Bedfordshire, were both jailed for 18 years. Rehman was jailed for 12 years.