London riots: Mirrorman Ryan Parry describes a night on the streets of riot-torn capital

THE boy was barely nine years old, four feet tall and weighing maybe 60 pounds, yet he held himself like a big man.

A black hoodie pulled over his head and a red bandana masking his baby face, the boy squared up to me and boomed: “Oi Mr, you betta watch yaself man. Why you be watching us?”

The young thug had fire in his eyes.

With 100 of his mates ranged behind him in the smoke-filled street, I knew his threat wasn’t hollow.

I’ve covered riots for the Mirror in the past – Belfast, G20, the student fees protests, even the looting after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans – but none matched the intensity of violence and destruction in London and spreading like a cancer across the UK.

Last night Scotland Yard issued a series of CCTV images and photos of many of those involved in the rioting.

From extremely young boys to teenage girls, these youths – children in fact – are all suspects officers want to question. I witnessed their work first hand. I saw the devastation in Tottenham and was there during an attack on Enfield high street followed by the looting of a nearby retail park.

Then on Monday night, as Hackney descended into chaos, I watched youths use the shooting of Mark Duggan as an excuse to lash out and take what they believe is rightfully theirs.

Teens on stolen bikes eyeballed me as they rode by looking for shops to break into and loot.

Jewellers, off licences and electronics stores were popular, but sports shops were their preferred target.

I arrived on Mare Street just moments after a gang had smashed their way into JD Sports. Kids filled their arms with Nike trainers and adidas tracksuits. Boys, grown men, their girlfriends and sisters, even mums and dads – smashing and grabbing in a frenzy of crime.

Two boys looting TVs in Croydon called their mum to pick them up.

A few minutes later witnesses saw an Asian woman arrive in a people carrier with a ­disabled badge in the window.

The boys loaded up the boot with their stolen booty and then the woman calmly drove away.

Yesterday Britain’s most senior police officer, acting Scotland Yard Commissioner Tim Goodwin, called on parents to keep their children at home and help bring the situation under control. He said: “I urge parents to start asking where their children are. There are far too many spectators getting in the way of the police operation to tackle criminal thuggery and burglary.

“I’m imploring people to start clearing the streets to enable officers to deal with the criminality that’s occurring.”

Sadly, I fear the plea will fall on deaf ears. When mums come to collect looted tellies, there’s little that can be done.

DEFIANT

The mob defiantly faced down riot police on Monday night. Even when the protesters started burning and looting, the outnumbered police could do little.

I asked one young man, only his eyes showing above his cloth mask, why he was rioting.

“He simply replied, ‘F*** you, man,’ before giving me the middle finger.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense before the real trouble came as darkness fell over East London. That’s when the “fun” began for rioters who had been summoned by BlackBerry messenger to leave their PlayStations for a night and flood into Hackney from across the city.

By 8pm four cars and several bins were on fire along Clarence Road.

Thick smoke drifted across the Pembury Estate as up to 300 rioters fought running battles with police.

Glass and chunks of concrete littered the road and the mob laughed as they hurled bricks and bottles at the police lines.

Two hooded teens pushed past me and started rolling a huge wheelie bin towards the riot cops.

Then a group broke off, smashed into a newsagent and casually stole booze and ran out with a till full of cash.

Ten yards from where I stood, two yobs took turns smashing open a till and taking the cash.

The media has always observed riots in the thick of the action, while trying to stay at a safe distance.

But in London over the past few days, the rules have changed.

Several journalists and photographers have been attacked.

In Hackney, Mirror photographer Phil Harris witnessed a colleague being bottled over the head. Phil said: “There was a mob at the end of the road near a burning car.

“I was walking up to it when I saw a photographer being chased down the alley towards me.

“A group appeared from nowhere and smashed a bottle over the guy’s head. They were kicking and punching him, he was bleeding badly.

“Luckily two other guys dragged him out and I hotfooted it as well.”

HATE

Similar scenes were reported in Birmingham and I’ve heard stories from across the country – hate-filled yobs have invaded our streets and they don’t want photographers capturing their faces and handing the pictures over to the “Feds”.

Unfortunately, at 6ft 5in and with a shaved head, I have the look of a plain clothes police officer. And at one horrifying moment the mob turned on me after a young rioter bellowed: “That c*** is CID.”

After a tense few seconds, and a lucky escape, it was time to leave.

Last night shops and businesses cautiously boarded up their windows in fear that violence could erupt.

Like most people who live and work in these blighted streets, they have little faith in the parents of the baby-faced thugs to prevent their kids running riot again.

Popular Searches of England RIOTS

• croydon riots-London Riots 2011
• london riots identification-London Riots 2011
• reeves corner-London Riots 2011
• croydon riots wanted-London Riots 2011
• london riot identification-London Riots 2011
• croydon riot suspects-London Riots 2011
• croydon riot photos-London Riots 2011