Man denies ramming Bootle Post Office with digger during Liv

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Man denies ramming Bootle Post Office with digger during Liverpool riots

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A MAN accused of being part of a mob which used a mechanical digger to smash into a cash machine during the Liverpool Riots told a court he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The digger, which was stolen from a building site during the second night of the summer riots in Liverpool, was repeatedly driven into the Post Office on Orrell Road, Bootle, to get at a Link cash machine while a mob of 30 people hung off the vehicle or followed.

Dad-of-two Mark Burns, of Hackett Avenue, Bootle, was arrested nearby after running from police and was found to have latex gloves in his pocket.

But the former bin man, who denies charges of attempted theft and criminal damage during the August 9 incident, said he was just walking to his mum’s and the gloves were for his ferrets.

The 25-year-old told Liverpool Crown Court: “As I walked up Springwell Road I seen a digger go past. There was a lad wearing a grey hooded top driving it and people in the shovel. As I turned the corner it was already lined up with the post office. I seen it reverse backwards and go in to hit the post office and repeated it two or three times. I was by a nail shop watching.”

He said he took some latex gloves off a passerby who had a box of them because he thought they would be good for cleaning his children’s ferret cage out.

When police arrived everybody ran, but he was quickly caught.

Burns claimed he was then assaulted by an officer. He said: “My hand was cuffed. I put one hand up to say ‘ere are mate, sound. He was saying ‘he tried to bite me, don’t try to bite me’, then he punched me in the face.”

He later gave a no comment interview to police.

Ben Jones, prosecuting, accused Burns of carrying the gloves to hide his fingerprints and making the assault up.

He said: “You were wearing a T-shirt, a grey hooded top and a black jacket. Three layers of clothing on a warm summer night. You must have been sweltering. One inference that might be put to you is that this was a rioter’s uniform. The purpose was to disguise your appearance.

“You knew there was disorder. There you were in a rioter’s uniform. Why didn’t you go the other way?”

Burns replied: “I’ve had four months to think about it. I wish I could change a lot of things that happened that day.”

(Proceeding)

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Liverpool riots accused man not guilty of Bootle post office digger raid

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A MAN accused of being part of the Liverpool Riots mob that smashed their way into Bootle post office with a stolen digging machine was cleared by a jury.

Mark Burns, of Hackett Avenue, Bootle, had always denied taking part in the civil unrest which rocked Liverpool during the summer.

But after being arrested by police near to the scene of the August 9 disturbance, on Orrell Road, Bootle, he was charged with attempted theft and criminal damage.

The 25-year-old, a dad-of-two who works at a skip company, said he was travelling from his partner’s house to stay at his mum’s when he saw the digger travelling along Springwell Road with a dozen people sat in the bucket and more following behind.

He said he stayed to watch it smash into the post office and then ran when police showed up.

During his two day trial he was accused of wearing a “rioter’s uniform” of hooded top and black jacket and asked why he ran rather than point out the criminals to police.

He replied that he was scared and that it looked like he was with the rioters.

The jury took around two hours to reach a unanimous not guilty verdict on both charges.

Mr Burns declined to give a comment as he left Liverpool Crown Court.