Stuart Colin was caught on CCTV adding rubbish to a burning police car

London riots: Wood Green man jailed for fuelling police car blaze in Tottenham

by Stephen Moore Saturday, May 12, 2012
7:15 AM

A man caught on CCTV placing a bag of rubbish in the boot of a burning police car during the Tottenham riots, fuelling the fire, has been jailed for three years.

Jobless Stuart Colin, 46, of Station Road, Wood Green, was also spotted on camera leaving the looted JD Sports and PC World stores in Tottenham Hale Retail Park with items in his hands.

Later that day he was caught on camera yet again, this time in Wood Green, carrying a bag of stolen DVDs. He told police that they had been given to him by an unknown male.

Car boot

In footage being analysed by the Metropolitan Police’s riots team Operation Withern, Colin was spotted putting the bag into the car boot in High Road, Tottenham, as the riots raged around him.

He was identified by local officers and pleaded guilty to violent disorder, handling stolen goods and two counts of burglary.

He was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday to three years’ imprisonment for violent disorder and the burglaries, and 10 months concurrently for handling stolen goods.

Acting Det Sgt Claire Starr, of Operation Withern, said: “Stuart Colin had a key involvement in the initial disorder, quite literally adding fuel to the fire.”