Crystal Palace Local

…and Karim would also like an apology from The Sun)

HIS FACE appeared all over national TV, newspapers and websites in the wake of the widespread looting which occurred across London late on Monday night and early on Tuesday morning after the Metropolitan Police issued a photograph of him.

On Wednesday Karim Chaoui found even greater infamy on the front page of The Sun - Britain's biggest selling newspaper - under the headline 'Shop a Moron' showing very clear pictures of looters.

There was just one minor problem - Karim had been an innocent bystander as looters hit Crystal Palace Jewellers in Church Road. And the video police initially used to add him to their first 'wanted' list of looters eventually helped prove his innocence.

For Karim, who runs a web design and computer and satellite repairs business in the basement of the jewellery shop,  had driven to the shop after being alerted by owner Darryll Norwood that the alarm had gone off.

Karim told this website: "I drove up here and saw the shop had been broken into. "There were about three there. "I said the police were here and they ran away. "I went into the shop and turned off the electric socket for the lights. "When I came back upstairs there were probably about 16 of them."

Karim, who called police at 2.26am, said he was devastated - and frightened in case the looters thought he was an undercover police officer.

"People were coming from everywhere. "Cars were passing and when they saw the shop had been broken into they stopped and got involved as well.
"Luckily a police van from Charing Cross was passing on its way to Croydon, saw the shop had been broken into and stopped. "The people ran away and the police chased them.
'Once the neighbours saw the police they came out and gave information such as number plates and descriptions of the looters. "They were all helpful."

Karim was at the shop until 7am when he went home. At midday he went back to the shop - to be told by Darryll he was on the Internet.

When I looked it was everywhere. "When the police came back I thought it would be all right - but it went from bad to worse. "I was frightened how people would react. "I had to convince the police first. "When they saw the video footage they realised I was here all night.

"The police said they would sort it as soon as possible. "It's easy to change photographs and pictures on the Internet."

But on Wednesday Karim found himself on the front page of The Sun.

"A Detective Chief Inspector came to apologise.

"I know it was done very very fast but isn't it best to see the whole video?" he asks.

Today Thursday The Sun has printed a paragraph pointing out that Karin (sic) Chaoui was not one of the looters - but without any picture alongside.

"I'd like an apology from The Sun. "For me what's very silly is they had 20 pictures on the front page - one of the people in the photos was wrongly accused - but which one?

Editor's note: The photograph above (not Karim) shows a youth who has shopped himself to police after it also appeared on the front page of The Sun.