The girlfriend of a father-of-one who died in police custody boycotted a protest because she feared violence from rioters who would later threaten to burn down houses, MailOnline can reveal today.

Edir 'Edson' Frederico Da Costa's family insist he was 'brutally beaten' and left with a broken neck after he was stopped by the Met in Newham, east London on June 15 - he died in hospital six days later.

Scotland Yard believes the 25-year-old fell ill because he had 'swallowed a large quantity of drugs' and a post-mortem found 'no injuries to suggest severe force was used', according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Edson's partner of six years Jucelma Da Silva warned supporters not to join yesterday's march from Forest Gate to Stratford because it would be hijacked by agitators who injured 14 police after pelting them with bricks and bottles.

Organisers had used an image of Edson and his son for a poster and Miss Da Silva said: 'I don't think its fair for so many people to plaster my son's face and start a movement which will then lead to a riot'.

Today east London residents told MailOnline that rioters set fire to 21 bins in one street and told them their houses would be next if they put them out.

Warning: The girlfriend of father-of-one Edir 'Edson' Frederico Da Costa, 25, pictured with their son, boycotted a protest against police after his death in custody because activists planned to riot

Miss Da Silva, pictured with her partner of six years before his death, warned against rioting in his memory

There was also anger that organisers used this picture of Edson and his son to encourage people to attend yesterday's march marred by violence

Six police officers have been injured after rioters launched bricks, bottles and lit street fires over the death of a young black father-of-one

A rioter appears to set fire to the contents of an overturned bin used to block Romford Road

The Black Lives Matter movement sat that police beat up Edson - the IPCC say that speculation like this is 'unhelpful' because a post-mortem found 'no injuries to suggest severe force was used'

The gang of thugs, described mainly as 'young adolescents', splintered away from a protest outside Forest Gate Police Station and started lighting fires in neighbouring streets.

IPCC STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF MR DA COSTA This statement was released with the Independent Police Complaints Commission on Friday: 'We have contacted Mr Da Costa's family to share with them the findings from the pathologist and we are now able to correct some misinformation that is being widely shared on social media. 'The preliminary post mortem found that Mr Da Costa did not suffer a broken neck, or any other spinal injury during his interaction with the police. It found he did not suffer a broken collarbone or bleeding to the brain. Rigorous investigations into the cause of Mr Da Costa's death are continuing, including into the use of force. 'We are releasing this information now out of concern at the rapid spread of false and potentially inflammatory information. Our robust and independent investigation will seek to explain the circumstances around Mr Da Costa's death. In the meantime, false information could have very dangerous consequences, so please don't share it'. Advertisement

Shocked residents of Windsor Road told how they spent most of the night awake 'guarding their property'.

Father-of-three Fayzur Rahman, 50, said: 'It was terrifying, they were everywhere outside. They had lit loads of bins on fire and were threatening residents who wanted to put the fires out. They were saying we will burn your house down if you put it out.'

He added 'There was no police down here, we were just left, people stayed up guarding their homes. The police should never of let them come down here.'

Friend Mohammed Rashid, 55, added: 'It's really shocking, everyone is pretty scared today. We got no sleep at all.'

Rae Vegum, 30, told how her young son was too scared to sleep.

She said: ''We heard chanting all day and then they started coming up here and getting bottles out of people's bins to throw at police.

'When they had finished doing that they started dragging the wheelie bins in the road and I saw them emptying petrol cans on them.

''They were sat in my garden, I was too scared to go out. I could see them shouting at other people telling them to get back inside, telling them that it had nothing to do with them.

'My five year old son couldn't sleep at all, he kept having nightmares about fires.''

She added: 'They had total control of the street, police weren't coming round here.

Councillor Ahmed Noor, who also lives in Windsor Road, said: ''We had all the family round for Eid celebrations, so this came as quite a nasty surprise.

'The fires were going for about four hours, it could of got very dangerous if a car had gone up. The youth got frustrated at the end of the protest and started burning bins. I think they just wanted to make a statement.

'They must have burnt around 21 wheelie bins. It was a truly terrifying experience.''

Fayzur Rahman revealed rioters warned residents their houses would be set alight if they trued to put out any fires. Rae Vegum says her five-year-old son was too scared to sleep

This is the shattered window of Forest Gate Police Station today where rioters started trouble overnight

A scorched road near Forest Gate Police Station today - the site of the main riots overnight

This white van was left with a shattered windscreen damaged by agitators who hijacked a peaceful march

A splinter group of rioters set fire to 21 bins in Windsor Road after raiding them for bottles to throw at police

Ahead of yesterday's protest Black Lives Matter UK said on their Facebook page: 'Forest Gate police. GUILTY OF MURDER. Join us if you're in Stratford' and later tweeted: 'ForestGate trending coz the police beat up a black man so bad he lost his life #JusticeforEdson'.

Edson's partner Miss Da Silva warned on Saturday that 'people were ready to use this protest and make justice with their own hands' and a family social media statement also said: 'Do not attend. Family does not support and have been informed this is a riot'.

As they predicted, last night rioters injured 14 police officers by throwing bricks and bottles at them and starting fires in the streets.

Miss Da Silva said on Instagram: 'Riots lead to a lot of casualties , ppl end up loosing [sic] their life's, some end up in jail and so on, so how is that justice for someone that just lost their life causing more pain to other families?! Lets us all not be blinded by our grief and pain. #JusticeforEdson [sic]'.

The Met said that the trouble started at 7.40pm last night when a crows - 'many of whom had not been involved in the original protest'returned to Forest Gate Police Station and attacked officers and the building.

Over the next few hours the rioters splintered off into small groups, still pelting police and starting fires.

Fourteen officers received injuries, four of whom were taken to hospital for medical treatment.

These include a male police sergeant who was knocked unconscious after an object struck his helmet, as well as officers with neck, leg and wrist injuries. All four officers have since been discharged.

Borough Commander Ian Larnder said: 'Whilst we will always support the right for lawful protest, the events of last night cannot be justified. Not only were our officers confronted by violence, with several of them being injured, but local residents were severely disrupted.

'Behaviour such as that seen overnight will not be tolerated and an investigation will begin to identify those individuals who targeted our officers.'

At this time, police are not aware of any members of the public being injured or any significant damage to property.

Five people were arrested including a 16-year-old, a 26-year-old and a 22-year-old held on suspicion of criminal damage. Two men, aged 19 and 26, were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. Three remain in custody.

The march from Forest Gate to Stratford turned violent after protesters chanting 'f*** the police' clashed with officers in riot gear.

Protesters, many with their faces obscured by scarves and t-shirts, hurled bricks and glass bottles, attacked police cars and lit fires in the road.

Footage published on social media shows hooded protesters starting large fires in the streets before taking bricks and hurling them at police officers and their vehicles. Others threw bottles as riot policed kettled them into streets.

The Black Lives Matter UK movement claims they didn't organise the rally but its supporters were at the event using the hashtag #ftp - short for f*** the police.

In a series of tweets it said: 'Riot police inflicting even more violence and brutality on the community. They pushed a pregnant woman on the ground and dragged her'.

'#ForestGate trending coz the police beat up a black man so bad he lost his life. His name was Edson Da Costa. Look him up #JusticeforEdson'.

Edir 'Edson' Frederico Da Costa (pictured), 25, died six days after he was arrested during a traffic stop in Newham, east London - his family claim it was police brutality but the police say he swallowed drugs

A young man ho appears to have been injured is taken away by riot police during the clashes in east London last night

A protester says something to riot police while being pushed back by another man last night

A rioter attacks a police car with a plank of wood as protests were hijacked last night

One protester held a sign saying 'police need to stop killing' at the demonstration

Social media is packed with footage of the rioting with this eyewitnesses saying that bottles were thrown as firefighters tried to put out street blazes

Critics accused Black Lives Matter of making claims of murder without evidence and seeking to divide the UK

Edson's family had asked supporters not to attend yesterday's protest fearing it would turn violent.

They claim his neck was broken and he suffered head injuries after police stopped a car carrying the father-of-one and two other people at around 10pm on June 21.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating his death and say preliminary post-mortem examination indicated there were no neck, spinal, shoulder injuries or bleeding on the brain caused by police.

Scotland Yard say they believe Mr Da Costa had swallowed a 'large quantity' of drugs which may have been to blame for his death.

Edson's family claim his neck was broken and he suffered head injuries after police stopped a car carrying the father-of-one and two other people at around 10pm on June 21.

The 25-year-old has a two-year-old son and his girlfriend is believed to be pregnant with their second child. He moved to Britain from Portugal in 1996.

His father, Ginario da Costa, told the Portuguese press that witnesses claimed Edson 'fell to the ground and a policeman put a knee on his throat'.

His cousin Larissa has claimed that his injuries were 'indescribable' - the IPCC post-mortem examination claims he had no 'injuries to suggest severe force was used'

According to the Socialist Worker she wrote on Facebook 'My family hired a private doctor who gave us the list of injuries.'

'I will not rest until justice is served and these gangsters are put behind bars'.

'A system that constantly condones violence without repercussion doesn't need to be revised, it needs to be dismantled.'

Videos show some attacking police cars with planks of wood, and a windscreen on one van was shattered

Police used dogs in a bid to push back the crowds of demonstrators surrounded by broken bricks thrown at them

Pictured is an injured person on the ground at Forest Gate in east London

Officers were seen holding a person on Romford Road in Forest Gate during the protests

A GoFundMe page set up to support Edson's family to pay for legal help and his funeral says: 'Edson was lying in hospital for six days on life support after having his neck broken in two places, head injuries that caused his brain to completely die and was sprayed directly into his eyes so heavily that he lost his eye sight.

'The police that did this left the scene immediately after following no basic protocol. Sadly we were forced to say goodbye on Wednesday 21st June and lost a priceless soul.

'This is a call for justice, not just for Edson but for all young men that are forgotten and unprotected in this reckless system.'

The IPCC has called speculation about the cause of his death 'unhelpful'.

There has been growing anger online about Edson's death on social media - with many demanding a full inquiry into his death.

But others have demanded demanded direct action against police, and have used the hashtag #justiceoelseforedson and said that his death was racially motivated.

Yesterday afternoon dozens marched on Forest Gate police station chanting 'justice for Edson' but the crowds swelled to hundreds as they walked the two miles to Stratford chants of 'f*** the police' increased.

Protesters, some carrying Black Lives Matter posters and others with homemade placards which read 'Justice for Edson + How Many More???', stood in front of a line of uniformed officers.

By 11pm bricks were pulled from walls and thrown at riot police who blocked the road watched by force helicopters from above.

One rode his motorbike up to the police line and revved his engine. Another turned his bike towards the officers and span the wheels so that smoke blew towards them.

Police were seen tending to a woman lying on the pavement. The trouble continued until around 3am and four arrests were made.

Borough commander superintendent Ian Larnder stood in the middle of a group of demonstrators trying to answer their questions. 'All police officers are fully aware that they will be asked to account for their actions, officers are not exempt from the law and we would not wish to be,' he told the Evening Standard.

'I know Edir's family, friends and the wider community want answers, but it is important that the investigation is allowed to take place to establish the full facts of what happened before any conclusions are made.'

Police officers line up in Forest Gate in London as more than 100 people attacked them

Youths with their faces covered bloacked roads with large bins and set fire to them

Many said they were angry about Edson's death after his arrest and some wore 'Justice for Edson' T-shirts

Officers responding to the disorder were dressed in riot gear

Protesters who had covered their faces were seen facing off against police who were carrying riot shields

An estimated 200 people were at the 'hostile' demonstration by midnight with crowds covering their faces as they threw projectiles at police

The IPCC said a preliminary post-mortem examination on Thursday indicated there were no spinal injuries caused by police.

Transport for London said that from just before 6pm there were 'a number of bus diversions at police request' due to the protest. A Met spokesman said: 'Shortly after 11.10pm, the main group dispersed into a number of smaller groups and again officers had items thrown at them. Two officers were injured, one suffered facial injuries and the other head injuries. They have both been taken to hospital for medical treatment.'

Police officers and firefighters were still at the scene in the early hours of the morning - but some local residents were forced to put out fires.

Stratford bus station in east London was evacuated after more than 100 demonstrators clashed with officers in riot gear.

Anger had been brewing on social media since under the hashtag #justice4Edson, and the protests had initially started peacefully, but as the mob's numbers increased further trouble broke out in Stratford, with the trouble continuing until around 3am.

Witnesses told MailOnline that at least four bins were ablaze with marauding protesters trying to set more alight

Police were still at the scene outside the station in large numbers late into the evening as the march descended into chaos - a woman in a mobility scooter stands in from of police

Many of the protesters were seen covering their faces with bandannas, jumpers and balaclavas and furiously gesticulating at riot officers

Family campaigners were insisting that the violence was not coming from them and it had been set up as a peaceful march

A protester is pictured climbing up a lamp post

At one point a blaze appeared to have been lit just yards from a petrol station

Furious crowds gathered outside Forest Gate police station from the early afternoon claiming that Metropolitan Police officers were to blame for Mr Da Costa's death, despite an initial post mortem not finding any force-related injuries.

Witnesses told MailOnline that at least four bins were ablaze with marauding protesters trying to set more alight.

An estimated 200 people were at the 'hostile' main demonstration by midnight with crowds covering their faces as they threw projectiles at police.

At one point a blaze appeared to have been lit just yards from a petrol station.

Campaigners shouting 'we want justice' and 'Justice for Edson', Mr Da Costa's nickname, caused buses to be diverted as they marched on Forest Gate police station this afternoon.

Many of the protesters were seen covering their faces with bandanas, jumpers and balaclavas and furiously gesticulating at riot officers.

Last week the Independent Police Complaints Commission urged people to stop spreading 'false' and 'inflammatory information', fearing an incident such as the riots yesterday.

The campaigners were shouting 'we want justice' and 'Justice for Edson', Mr Da Costa's nickname

Police formed a line to keep the campaigners at bay during the protest in north east London

Black Lives Matter campaigners hold a tense stand-off with Metropolitan Police officers over the death of Frederico Da Costa

Pictured: A protester angrily points at police during the tense demonstration yesterday

A spokesman said: 'We are releasing this information now out of concern at the rapid spread of false and potentially inflammatory information.

'Our robust and independent investigation will seek to explain the circumstances around Mr Da Costa's death. In the meantime, false information could have very dangerous consequences, so please don't share it.'

Borough Commander Superintendent Ian Larnder was also seen standing in the middle of a group of protesters trying to answer their questions and calm tensions.

Transport for London said that from just before 6pm there had been 'a number of bus diversions at police request' due to the demonstration at Stratford.

One person was arrested on suspicion of disorder offences; three others were arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has launched an investigation into the treatment of Mr Da Costa who died on June 21.

The IPCC said a preliminary post-mortem, carried out on Thursday, indicated there were no spinal injuries caused by police.

Pictured: A protester drives his motorcycle up to a line of riot police during today's demonstration

Pictured: Protesters hold placards saying: 'Justice for Edson + How many more?'

Pictured: A line of riot police block off the road outside Stratford bus station in east London

On Friday it posted a statement on Twitter, which read: 'Today we have contacted Mr Da Costa's family to share with them the findings from the pathologist and we are now able to correct some misinformation that is being widely shared on social media.

'The preliminary post mortem found that Mr Da Costa did not suffer a broken neck, or any other spinal injury during his interaction with the police.'