Violent crowds clash with police ONE DEAD, 10 INJURED AS RIOT ERUPTS

A MAN was killed last night and a police officer injured as riots erupted in Birmingham over the alleged gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl.

Hundreds of people were caught up in fighting with police after a public meeting to address concerns about an alleged brutal sex attack on a teenage Jamaican immigrant by 19 Asian men.

Tensions have been high after reports on a pirate radio station earlier this week of the teenage girl's attack, but no victim has come forward. Community leaders claim the girl has not made a statement to police because she is an illegal immigrant and fears being deported.

Yesterday, a meeting in a local church in the Lozells area of the city was addressed by two senior police officers and local MP Khalid Mahmood. It followed an earlier rally of about 200 people in support of victims of crime.

But the meeting, of mainly black community members, became increasingly violent and bricks and bottles were thrown at police in riot gear. Around 10 injured people were taken to hospital. The violence escalated further, with gangs of youths wielding baseball bats running amok in central Birmingham.

One eyewitness said: "It was just chaos, the police were forming lines and shouting, then all of a sudden they would charge at the crowds.

"Windows on all the cars were being smashed by the rioting crowd and I even passed a number cars with their engines still running which had been abandoned by their drivers."

A local resident said a local boy in his 20s had been stabbed. She added: "I saw Asian guys chasing black guys down this road. They had batons and everything else they could think of."

A stretch of Carlyle Road remained sealed off with riot police stationed there. Bricks were scattered outside the New Testament Church of God where the meeting took place.

Last week police kept a highprofile presence on the streets to help ease public tensions.

The alleged victim was said to have been attacked by several men and later taken to City Hospital. Police are studying CCTV footage and have carried out forensic tests in the area of the alleged attack.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said they were following several lines of inquiry and have carried out forensic tests, house- to-house inquiries and distributed thousands of leaflets in a bid to find the alleged victim.

A police helicopter hovered above the area with its searchlight trained on the Lozells Road where it seemed the main violence was taking place. It is not new to racial tension. There is a strong Afro-Caribbean presence, the biggest contingent among the black population originating from Jamaica, and Asian gangs have also grown up in the area, which was the scene of riots in 1985.

Yesterday, police again urged the 14-year-old to come forward after three people were arrested in the Perry Barr area of the city. Almost 1000 people in the local area have signed a petition calling for "justice" for the girl.

The Home Office has assured the alleged victim that her immigration status will not be dealt with until after the outcome of any legal proceedings.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said last night:

"There was a public meeting earlier today responding to the local concerns. Officers met with local people and community leaders to address people's concerns over an alleged incident said to have taken place towards the later part of last week.

"At this stage all we can confirm is that there have been sporadic of disorder in the Lozells area, there has also been a fatality which police are treating as suspicious."

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