Teenager admits to ‘riot page’ on Facebook

A TEENAGER faces a “lengthy” prison sentence after he admitted starting a Facebook page encouraging people to riot in a Scottish city centre during last year’s summer disturbances.

Liam Allan started the event on the social networking site – titled “City Centre Riot” – at the height of the violence and looting that swept cities across England in August last year.

Rioting gripped areas of London and the city centres of Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Gloucester and other towns.

Days later Allan started the Facebook page encouraging a riot in Dundee and inviting hundreds of friends to take part.

On it he encouraged people to “get suited and booted, crowbars, baseball bats, the lot”.

Fiscal depute Donna Davidson told Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday police set up a “major incident room” after being alerted to the page.

She said: “The situation is that on 4 August last year the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan took place in London.

“As a result large scale riots engulfed the city.

“On 9 August Tayside Police received a telephone call reporting someone had observed the Facebook page entitled City Centre Riot. As a result a major incident room was set up to respond to the threat of rioting in Dundee.”

Allan, 19, of Benvie Gardens, Dundee, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching the peace on 9 August last year.

Defence solicitor Doug McConnell said he would argue that Allan’s case is different to that of two other Dundee teens, Jordan McGinley and Shawn Divin, who were jailed last year over similar Facebook pages.

Sheriff George Way deferred sentence until next month for background reports – and released Allan on bail conditions including a ban on using the internet. But he warned Allan: “On a comparative basis a very lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable.”