POLICE HAVE CHARGED a 20-year-old man with robbing an injured Malaysian student whose videotaped attack during the London riots drew outrage in Britain.
About 20 teens and preteens surrounded Mohammed Asyraf Haziq Rossli during the unrest that swept the capital last week, grabbing his bike and cell phone and breaking his jaw.
A video that chronicled the attack shows youths pretending to come to the aid of Rossli — even as they unzipped his backpack and emptied it.
The video went viral and caused shock. UK Prime Minister David Cameron described it as a sign of a deeper societal malaise.
Metropolitan Police said Saturday that Reece Donovan, 21, of Milton Court, Cross Road, Chadwell Heath, Romford, has been charged with stealing a portable Sony Playstation and Nokia mobile phone from Rossli as he bled on the pavement on Monday 8 August.
Donovan appeared at at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, reports the Belfast Telegraph, speaking only to confirm his name, date of birth and address. He was denied bail.
Rossli has said that he harbours no ill-feeling towards his attackers or those who rifled through his belongings after he was injured, reports the Daily Mail. ”My family are worried about me and my mother would like me to go home. But I am determined to stay. I feel very sorry for the people who did this. It was really sad because among them were children,” he said.
Additional reporting by the AP
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