Communal clashes in Leicester last week have hit global media headlines triggering fears of law and order in an otherwise peaceful United Kingdom. The police acted swiftly and arrested 47 people for their alleged involvement in the riots that lasted several days. A court in Leicester this week convicted and jailed Amos Noronha for 10 months for possessing a dangerous weapon.
Who Is Amos Noronha?
The Leicester Police on Monday announced that they had arrested 47 people in connection with the communal disorder in the East Midlands city. They also revealed that one man, identified as Amos Noronha, had become the first man to be jailed for 10 months for the possession of a dangerous weapon.
“A 20-year-old man has been sentenced 10 months in prison following his arrest during the disorder in East Leicester,” the police said.
The police added that Noronha was a resident of Illingworth Road in Leicester. He appeared at the Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to possession of an ‘offensive weapon.’
“He (Noronha) was arrested Saturday night during the police operation in East Leicester. An additional 18 people were arrested on Sunday night for a number of offences including affray, common assault, possession of an offensive weapon and violent disorder. In total, 47 people have been arrested for offences in relation to the unrest in the east of the city,” the police said.
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According to cops investigating the matter, some of those arrested were from out of the city, including some people from neighbouring Birmingham in West Midlands.
Leicester Police’s Temporary Chief Constable Rob Nixon said, “This quick charge reflects the hard work the officers have put in, with overwhelming evidence against Noronha. The sentence is reflective of the fact that this was a serious offence and he has ended up with time in prison.
“We saw last night a group of people from other cities come to our city to disrupt and cause harm. We will not stand for this unrest in our city. There is an extensive policing operation on going, acting on information and reports of gatherings and offering community reassurance.
“Be reassured: we are working to keep you safe and to arrest and bring to justice those that are causing harm in our communities.”
The police have not provided any more details about Noronha’s background and ethnicity, but social media users have been unanimous in concluding that he was a man of Indian origin, possibly of Goan descent due to his ‘biblical’ Christian surname.
One user wrote on Twitter, “Amos Noronha… sounds like an Indian Christian.” Another user commented, “One of the RSS gang members is Amos Noronha a local Leicester lad. BJP back in India is making inroads in Goa with recent deflection of 8 out 11 Congress MLAs to BJP. Is it all coincidental?”
One user wrote, “Spoke to a Goan in Leicester & was being told a lot of recent migrants from the former Portuguese colony of Daman in Gujarat have been involved in the unrest, with one Amos Noronha jailed for 10 months yesterday. Can’t get my head around Goans being hand in hand with RSS.”
It remains to be seen if the Leicester Police release any more information about Noronha in coming days.