2011: The Year in Pictures

LEAPING FROM THE FIRE Chosen by Toby Young

‘This photograph captures the horror of the disturbances that engulfed several English cities in August. To me, it felt as if we were being given a glimpse of the future – a flash forward. And, as this photograph shows, that future is a kind of hell.

I think a lot of people assumed the picture was taken by a member of the public because it’s so raw, but, actually, it was taken by Amy Weston, a photographer who works for the Wenn picture agency.

Afterwards, she was worried she might be mugged so she hid her camera in her clothes as she headed home. It ended up being used on five national newspaper front pages the following morning. This is photojournalism at its best.’

EYEWITNESS

Cypran Asota, manager of Boots opticians on Mare Street, the first shop in Hackney to be hit by looters during the August riots

‘We’d been warned the rioters were coming so I sent my staff home and pulled down the shutters. Fifteen minutes later, a gang of looters ripped them up again. I watched them from across the street as they carried off armfuls of designer sunglasses. Most of the looters were teenage boys. They all had their faces covered with bandannas, but there were girls waiting outside to carry off what the boys were passing out and they didn’t seem to care who saw them. The police were just watching it happen so I ran across and pleaded with the gang. I said: “Please stop, this shop is all I’ve got.” One of them said: “You’ve got insurance haven’t you?” People think of Boots as a big chain but I tried to explain that this is a franchise – I own the outlet. My blood, sweat and tears have gone into it for 25 years.

The surprising thing was that they did eventually stop. They didn’t seem angry or wild, they were just out to get what they could take. I truly believe that if a police officer had just come over and told them not to do it they would have run off. I’ve repaired the damage now but I lost £26,000 of stock and I’m still battling with my insurers to give me the full amount.'

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