Harry Potter actor who swigged stolen champagne before joining masked mob in riot rampage is jailed for two years

  • Jamie Waylett was caught on camera during the third day of last summer’s civil disorder in north London
  • He was cleared of intent to destroy or damage property with a petrol bomb

By Jill Reilly
Updated:


On trial: Harry Potter actor Jamie Waylett is accused of violent disorder

On trial: Harry Potter actor Jamie Waylett denies a charge of violent disorder

A star of the Harry Potter films who  drank stolen champagne as he went on the rampage during the London riots was jailed for two years yesterday.

Jamie Waylett, who played Hogwarts bully Vincent Crabbe, was part of a gang of at least four people who took to the streets on August 8 last year, the third night of violence in the capital.

The 22-year-old was captured on CCTV several times during the evening, often with a hood over his head.

At one point, the footage shows him accepting a bottle of champagne from a rioter who had just looted a nearby Sainsbury’s.

The jury took three-and-a-half hours to find him guilty of violent disorder at Wood Green Crown Court in north London.

But they cleared him of having an article with intent to destroy or damage property in respect of a petrol bomb.

The actor, of West Hampstead in north London, refused to give evidence in court, but insisted in a police interview that he had only taken possession of the Molotov cocktail because he felt intimidated by peer pressure.

He had already admitted handling stolen goods - a bottle of Champagne was handed to him by his brother moments after it had been looted from a ransacked Sainsbury's store.

After the verdicts were passed. Judge Simon Carr told the jury of five men and seven women: 'Thank you very much indeed for the care you have taken on this short but important case.'

Past: Waylett, left, played bully Vincent Crabbe - an ally of Draco Malfoy - in the Harry Potter films

Past: Waylett, left, played bully Vincent Crabbe - an ally of Draco Malfoy - in the Harry Potter films

Waylett - believed to be good friends with fellow Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint - admitted he had been an idiot but said he had been 'caught up in the hype and euphoria of it all'.

He met his brother Richard at their grandfather's house and the pair ended up in Camden Town after a drink.

He was initially spotted on CCTV dashing across Chalk Farm Road at 10.45pm after a gang smashed in the front windows of a Sainsbury's supermarket, said prosecutor Rebekah Hummerstone.

'Moments later, he accepted a bottle of sparkling wine from a friend who is also seen on the footage carrying a number of bottles,' she added.

About 90 minutes later, Waylett was again spotted on the CCTV with his hood up and could be seen trying to cover the lower part of his face with a scarf. His companions also had masked faces.

'He and the other members of his group were carrying petrol bombs,' said Ms Hummerstone.

Waylett was arrested after a painstaking review of Camden Council CCTV footage. During an interview, he told officers: 'I was there but I wasn't doing nothing bad.

'A lot of people I knew were there so I wouldn't have done anything stupid. I was just being an idiot.

'I saw groups of youths smashing corner shops, I saw everything going off at Sainsbury's, I was standing in that area.

'There was a bottle going round, my brother passed me a bottle, I had a sip out of that.

'I have no clue where that came from, that's the honest truth. I didn't loot nothing, I didn't do anything stupid, but I was there.'

Asked about the petrol bomb, he replied: 'A lot of people came up to me and my brother and I recognised one of them. Next thing I know they said "take that".

'I get quite a lot of trouble with people in the area so I'm not really confrontational.

'I have been threatened enough times and people know where I live.

'I have had threats in the past but I can't go to the police, there's no action from them. I'm the one that has to live with it.'

Contrast: Stars Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe have been much better behaved

Co-stars: Waylett appeared in the Harry Potter films alongside Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe

He admitted holding the petrol bomb, but insisted he had given it back - though the court heard he later claimed he had thrown it in a rubbish bin in nearby Primrose Hill.

Emily Dummett, defending Waylett, said there was no evidence of him using or threatening violence and his presence during the riots was not enough to convict.

He denied having an article with intent to destroy or damage property and violent disorder.

The actor appeared in six Harry Potter films before his character was written out in the final Deathly Hallows instalment.

Earlier Ms Dummett, told the court: 'He acknowledges the seriousness of his actions. He struggled in school, achieving three low grade GCSEs.

'He completed a painting and decorating qualification at college but he is not in work at the moment.

'Although he had the good fortune to be one of the actors in the Harry Potter films he didn't handle the publicity well and began using cannabis.

'His usage increased and that led to a conviction in 2009 for possession and later cultivation.

'Inevitably what followed was his character being written out of the films.

'He has a difficult relationship with his mother, and relies on his grandfather for support.

'He knows the sentence of the court must be on that deters other people from partaking in this sort of behaviour in future.'

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