'Shopped' by Mom, UK Man, 18, Gets 28 Months for Stealing Vodka and 3 Shoes, Swigging Booze in Riot
Reportedly “shopped” to police by his mother after she saw a photo in a national newspaper showing her son looting in Manchester last week, a British teenager didn’t have it easy in Manchester Crown Court either.
After a lecture from the judge, Michael Fitzpatrick, 18, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison, reports the BBC.
The son of the owner of a window-replacement company with a full-time job there, Fitzpatrick reportedly took a bottle of vodka from one store and three single “trainer” athletic shoes—which he dropped when police arrived—from another. He also entered an electronics store but found nothing there to steal and drank from an expensive bottle of champagne stolen from a restaurant bar, according to the BBC and Sky News.
He was convicted of possession of stolen goods and three counts of burglary by a trespasser.
Asked why he had participated in the widespread rioting that took place last week in London and other major British cities, Fitzpatrick told police he wanted to “give a voice to the underclass,” among other comments, Sky News reports.
“He’s 18 and he’s a foolish young man and he is going to pay a high price today,” said barrister Rob Kearney, who represented Fitzpatrick.
The stiff sentence he received is not unusual; others also are reportedly being given substantial amounts of time for what likely would, under other circumstances, be considered minor crimes.
The Telegraph notes that Fitzpatrick also said, according to prosecutor Michael Morley, that “he doesn’t think it’s fair that he works but cannot afford things he wants.”
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “UK Official Calls for BlackBerry Ban to Help Control London Rioting”
ABAJournal.com: “London Courts Pull All-Nighters as Police Arrest 922 People as Young as 7 in Riots”
