London Riots 2011: Teen Arrested for Murder

A 16-year-old is being tried for the murder of Richard Mannington Bowes, the man who was beaten to death during the UK Riots that tormented a number of English cities last week.

On Aug. 8, the 68-year-old Bowes attempted to extinguish a trashcan fire in his neighborhood of Ealing, in West London, when a gang of youths attacked him. The teenager charged with murder reportedly punched Bowes, making him fall to the ground and hit his head on the concrete street. Bowes was rushed to the hospital, where he died three days later.

Neither the Croydon Magistrates Court nor the police would release the name of the suspect, who is a minor. The boy appeared in court with his mother, who has been charged with perverting the course of justice, according to The Telegraph.

Along with murder, the teenager has also been charged with violent conduct and four counts of burglary. According to reporters, the youngster wore a t-shirt to court and was impassive during the proceedings.

England is recovering from four days and five nights of consecutive rioting and looting, which started in London and spread to a number of other cities last week.

London courts are staying open 24 hours a day to continually process cases of burglary, theft and arson, sometimes with defendants as young as 11 years old, and police have arrested about 2,000 people already. There are currently two more murder investigations open, one concerning a man who was shot in London the same night Bowes was struck, and one over three people who were killed when they were struck by a car during Tuesday's riot in Birmingham.

Police are currently pouring over security camera footage, attempting to identify looters from video stills. Authorities published a number of pictures online, hoping that rioters would be identified.