As peace returned to the streets of London and other riot-hit cities, a 68-year-old man who was critically injured in the violence has died, taking the death toll to five in Britain's worst unrest in decades.
Richard Mannington Bowes, who suffered head injuries and had slipped into
comma, was the fifth person to have died in the unrest that dented the David Cameron government's image inside and outside the United Kingdom.
Three British Asians died in Birmingham on Wednesday morning when they were deliberately mowed down by a speeding car, while one man was found shot dead in a car on Croydon on Monday night.
Bowes tried to persuade rioters to stop their activities, but was instead attacked by teenagers who were setting fire to two industrial bins. The policemen who tried to help him were also attacked. Detective Chief Inspector McFarlane said: "This was a brutal incident that resulted in the senseless killing of an innocent man". He said the examination of CCTV footage had provided police with a strong suspect: "I know that on seeing these images of him people will be able to identify him.
He had been in close proximity to the attack, recording the events on a mobile device". Mayor of London Boris Johnson paid tribute to him: "There are many villains in this story but also many heroes and I want to pay particular tribute to Mr Bowes. But he has paid a terrible price. I am desperately sorry for him and his family."