Looter who stole beer during Southport riots loses appeal against prison sentence
Ian Fairfield claimed he was only in town to visit his sister and believed the beer was a soft drink
Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
It is with some trepidation that we return to the issue of riots in today’s edition but, for various reasons, issues relating to the disorder in 2024 continue to progress through the courts’ system two years on.
Today’s newsletter focuses on one such case, an apparently non-rioting man who saw a group of people breaking into a family-run, well respected convenience store… and decided to join in.
This non-drinker helped himself to a crate of beer and 14 months later had police officers knocking on the door of his property where he also happened to be growing cannabis.
Southport briefing
🖥️ A survivor of the Southport Attack said she is disgusted and horrified that dozens of hospital staff accessed her records without any reason. Leanne Lucas was treated by at University Hospitals of Liverpool Group after being stabbed in the attack and only recently learnt of the privacy breach. She said: “Nothing will take away my gratitude to the staff who saved my life, but 48 people not involved in my care abused their position of trust to access the files of victims who have suffered unspeakable trauma. The decision to keep this from me for almost two years is a new low.” According to HSJ, which first reported the story here, records of child survivors were also accessed inappropriately by staff and disciplinary action taken ranges from “informal counselling to a final written warning”.
🍺 A town centre pub cancelled a booking after finding out it was due to host a first meeting of a Southport branch of Restore Britain, the political party set up by Rupert Lowe. The Tavern, on London Street, said it was not informed of the nature of the booking and has since told the group it will no longer host the meeting. On Facebook, the pub’s management said: “While we fully support free speech and understand that people will always hold different views and opinions, we are first and foremost a family community pub and do not feel it is appropriate for us to accommodate political groups or meetings of this nature. For that reason, the booking has now been cancelled. We thank our customers and community for their understanding and continued support.”
🍫 A serial thief has been banned from more Southport stores after again being caught stealing. Zac Cartwright, 34, was already under a banning order but has been handed further punishment after breaching it while stealing more than £150 of confectionery from the Sainsbury’s Local on Bispham Road. The offence took place on December 27 and Cartwright, of Balliol Road in Bootle, went before magistrates this week and was given a new two-year criminal behaviour order which bans him from Chapel Street, any Sainsbury’s store in the town, Tesco Express in Ainsdale in addition to the previous order which includes Eastbank Street and Central 12. That one was issued just 12 days before the following theft.
🛒 Aldi has formally submitted a planning application for its planned new Ainsdale supermarket. The discount retailer wants to add its Southport and Birkdale stores with another location which would see the redevelopment of the Sandbrook Centre which has long been an eyesore. The proposed site is a brownfield plot of land currently housing residential and retail properties which are mostly vacant and in poor condition and are now due for demolition. Sefton Council and Aldi have worked together to bring the plans forward. Aldi says its new development would “bring a new, modern food store to the local area, improving the appearance and environment in the area” as well as enhancing the local retail offer for residents in Ainsdale, broadening choice for shoppers and creating 40 full-time jobs.
🚓 A Southport man was one of nine charged after drugs raids across Merseyside. On Thursday, police kicked down doors across Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley as part of an investigation into organised crime with one property found to contain a shotgun, assault rifle, a revolver, and two other rifles, while a large amount of cannabis and Class A drugs were also seized. Among those charged, Alexander Murray, 41, of Tedder Avenue, in Southport, is accused of conspiracy to produce cannabis, conspiracy to abstract electricity, and possession of criminal property.
Looter who stole beer during Southport riots loses appeal against sentence
By Jamie Lopez
A man who was jailed for looting during the Southport riots has lost an appeal against his sentence.
Ian Fairfield stole a crate of beer and damaged a shelf as one of a large group of people who forced their way into the Windsor Mini Mart while crowds attacked police officers and a mosque further down Sussex Road.
The riots broke out in July 2024 in the wake of the Southport Attack and following a vigil which was held in the town centre in memory of its victims. Online misinformation led to the mosque being attacked by huge crowds who threw bricks and flaming objects at the building, attacked police officers, and set a police van alight.
As that chaos played out, a mixture of children and adults smashed their way into the Mini Mart, which has since been renamed Windsor Convenience Store, to steal its contents. Its owner, Chanaka Balasuriya, was left to helplessly watch CCTV footage of the break-in from his home, which is near to the Hart Street location of the attack.
Mr Balasuriya had moved to the UK from Sri Lanka 25 years earlier and relocated to Southport in recent years as he believed it would provide a safer location compared to where he previously worked in London. Having been warned of the impending disorder by neighbours who feared for his safety , he’d closed the store early.
According to court documents, he estimated the cost of the damage to the shop was around £6,000 on top of other £15,000 losses including missing stock, while he and his family were badly affected psychologically as well as financially.
It was also stated that police officers estimated that there were about a thousand people involved in the violent disorder, which was “accompanied by appalling racist chants”, that fifty police officers were injured, and that the clean-up operation cost the local authority £17,000.
Among those who broke into the shop was Fairfield. The now 53-year-old was identified on CCTV footage despite attempting to cover his face when entering and leaving the store and admitted it was him when questioned by police.
He also claimed that he was not involved in the riot but was instead in Southport to visit his sister and that he didn’t drink alcohol and believed the box contained soft drinks when he took it.
