Justice through the night as courts cope with deluge

An Olympics ambassador who met Boris Johnson was today revealed as a riot suspect - after being reported to police by her mother.

Chelsea Ives was filmed by the BBC allegedly hurling bricks at a police car during violent disturbances in Enfield on Sunday night.

She is one of hundreds of suspects who appeared throughout the night in London and across Britain as courts staged extraordinary 24-hour sittings.

Westminster magistrates' court heard that the 18-year-old boasted she had "the best day ever" after apparently rampaging through Enfield.

But she was seen on the nightly news by her mother Adrienne, 47, who immediately called the police.

Ives, who has also met London Olympics chief Sebastian Coe and visited the House of Commons, denied two counts of burglary, violent disorder and attacking a police car in the early hours of this morning.

In an emotional interview with the Evening Standard, Mrs Ives said the decision to call the police about her daughter was "gut wrenching" but added: "I had to do what was right. Roger (her husband) and I were watching the news and it was absolutely sickening. And then we saw our daughter among the crowds."

Ives's case was one of more than 240 already brought before magistrates as courts extended their opening hours to cope with the deluge of suspects arrested over the riots. The most dramatic scenes came at City of Westminster magistrates, where the court ran through the night with defendants struggling to stay awake in the dock and some suspects banging on the walls of their cells in an attempt to disrupt the hearings taking place yards away.

Prosecutor Becky Owen said Ives, who in 2009 was invited into the House of Commons to celebrate the success of a football project run by Leyton Orient Community Sport Programme, had led an attack on a Vodafone store. "She was first to pick up masonry and hurl it at the window," she said. She was also involved in a mob attack on Phones4U. Ives also allegedly hurled masonry at a marked police BMW in a "frenzied" attack that forced officers to flee.

She pleaded not guilty and was refused bail until August 17 when she will appear at Highbury Corner magistrates' court. Ives was described by her solicitor as a "talented sportswoman".

Others appearing before magistrates today included university graduate Natasha Reid, who handed herself in to police because she was "unable to sleep" after looting from a Comet store. Reid, 24, who said she hoped to become a social worker, was tearful and held her head in her hands after pleading guilty to stealing a £270 TV. Her lawyer Andre Billington told how she had an attack of conscience and went to a police station in Chingford with the stolen television. District judge Elizabeth Roscoe told her that her remorse would "very much go in your favour" but warned that she could still face prison because of the "serious nature" of the case.

Westminster magistrates also heard how Victoria Holmes, 19, of Dartford, who gave birth six weeks ago, was arrested by police in Woolwich with her boyfriend and allegedly a suitcase full of looted goods. She was accused of theft from Gamestation, Argos and a men's clothing company called Blue Inc, and of receiving stolen goods. She was remanded in custody.

Elsewhere, trainee dental nurse Laura Cook, 19, of Roffey Close, Purley, admitted cannabis possession but pleaded not guilty to burglary after being caught by police among a 100-strong mob found raiding the Argos store in Church Street, Croydon on Monday. She was remanded in custody and will miss an exam that her solicitor described as "hugely significant" for her career.

In another Westminster case, the court was told how customers at a café in St John's Wood chased away a marauding gang of knife-wielding thugs who attacked the building they were drinking in.

Badawi el Badawi, 20, from St John's Wood, was among the group, it was claimed.

One attacker allegedly threw a shopping trolley at the café, causing customers to run inside in fear, while others smashed the windows and tried to set a parked car on fire. El Badawi was remanded in custody.

The gang also set fire to towels they carried with them, throwing them into the café with customers inside.

The court heard a 21-year-old university student who is in his second year of a law degree was one of the gang. His lawyer said he denied the charges.

Young suspects bang on the cell walls, mothers claim sons are 'good boys'.. and lawyers dream of coffee

Bleary-eyed and exhausted, judges and lawyers today emerged into the morning light after an marathon overnight mission to bring London rioters to justice.

Some did six-hour stints while others simply did not go to bed as suspects were taken before Westminster magistrates. In extraordinary scenes early today, prisoners in overflowing cells yelled and banged on the walls, sometimes drowning out proceedings. Youthful defendants could barely remain awake in the dock. Relatives of the accused slept in corridors.

"We know they are all going to be remanded in custody so let's just do it and go to bed," pleaded one weary lawyer. District judges Sonia Sims, Nicholas Evans, Ken Grant and Jane Wright worked in rota through the night to process more than 60 cases of accused rioters.

One prosecutor, Becky Owen, began work at 11pm and was still in court six 12 hours later. Ms Owen admitted to the Standard that she was in desperate need of a coffee. Her colleague Lisa Brown said: "Becky is just so dedicated and won't go home. We are going to have to insist she takes a break."

Six members of the public turned up to watch.

Nathaniel, a landlord from Brixton, spent more than 12 hours at the Horseferry Road court. "I am sure many will bitterly regret this and some lives have been destroyed."

Juvenile cases began about 9pm, two hours later than planned. Those aged 18 and above began appearing shortly before midnight.

Lawyers raced around, searching to check which defendants were in custody, and whether their paperwork had arrived with them. Court papers were skim-read in 15 minutes before hearings.

Defendants appeared in the dock when their solicitors were still in the cells with other clients. A photocopier broke down at 3am.

In the corridors, mothers claimed their offspring were "good boys". Their records told a different story. Many had a long list of previous convictions. Most had been caught wearing masks and hoodies.

Almost every accused was remanded in custody to prevent them reoffending. Some had been transported between courts all day, waiting for a hearing. They had been followed across London by their parents and in one case a younger brother and a sister who could not have been older than four. One man protested that he and his wife waited six hours to take their 17-year-old son home on bail. "It's beyond a joke, we are so frustrated," he said.

One 14-year-old, who appeared in the dock after 1am, rubbed his eyes as he told the judge he understood the severity of the charges. He was accused of assaulting a police officer in Canning Town.

One 25-year-old woman from Erith, who had come to support her friend who was charged with burglary, missed her fleeting appearance. "I can't believe we have come all this way and the solicitor didn't call us into court," she said at 5am. "She probably thinks we didn't bother coming."

Despite the best efforts of the officials, only about half of the 200 cases were dealt with.