‘Turn looting children in to police,’ says mum who reported her own Olympic ambassador daughter for ‘taking part in rioting’

Difficult decision: Adrienne Ives

A mother who turned her own daughter into police after discovering she was allegedly involved in rioting, has urged other parents to do the same.

Adrienne Ives, 47, said the decision to tell detectives she had spotted her 18-year-old Olympics ambassador daughter Chelsea taking part in this week's riots was 'gut-wrenching'.

The talented athlete was stripped of her role as 2012 Olympic ­ambassador after being charged with burglary, violent disorder and hurling bricks at a police car.

However, Adrienne, 47, said that she had no choice but to contact officers.



She told the Daily Mirror: 'Any parent who loves their child should find the courage to do what we did.'

'If parents keep their mouths shut these kids will keep rampaging through the streets.



'As a mother, I love my daughter. It’s not easy, but we hope we’ve done the right thing. It was a hard decision to make but it was a decision that any good parent would do. These riots happen because good parents do nothing.'

Chelsea, 18, is in custody accused of taking part in the disorder at Enfield, North London.



Mrs Ives was at home in Leytonstone, east London, on Sunday night with her husband Roger, 54, watching the scenes of anarchy unfold on the streets of Enfield, just six miles to the north.



'Roger and I were watching the TV news and it was absolutely sickening,' she said. 'And then we saw our daughter. I could not believe it. For a minute we did not know what to do.

'But then, what could normal honest parents do? How can you sit there and see that and say, "That's OK"? We were watching people lose their homes and businesses. As parents we had to say, "She can't get away with that".



'I will be portrayed as a bitch – but what are you supposed to do? I had to do what was right. She won't thank us.'

Detained: Chelsea Ives is seen arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court overnight

Mrs Ives told The Sun: 'We've no regrets and would do the same again. My children have always been taught right from wrong. We were not being brave, it's what any right-thinking person would have done.



'I love her. But these riots have cost people their jobs and even their lives. We are going through hell.'

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Ives' father Roger, 54, added: 'There were a lot of tears. It was devastating when she was led away.

'I don't want my daughter to go to prison. But we would do the same again.'



Mrs Ives added: 'Many parents will know their children have been involved. I urge them to do what we did.'



As an Olympic ambassador, Chelsea would have been one of the volunteers who will welcome visitors during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.



Ambassadors are to be 'the face of London' and will greet and advise visitors at airports, rail stations and tourist hotspots.



On Friday she appeared at Westminster magistrates' court, which heard that she boasted of having 'the best day ever' after allegedly rampaging through Enfield.



Prosecutor Becky Owen said that Ives had been involved in an attack on a Vodafone store. 'She was first to pick up masonry and hurl it at the window,' she added.



It was alleged that Ives attacked a mobile telephone shop before hurling masonry at a marked police BMW in a 'frenzied' attack that forced officers to flee.



Yesterday she denied burglary at two mobile phone shops, violent disorder and attacking the BMW police car and was remanded in custody.

Her case will be committed to Crown court when she appears at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court later this month.



Rioters are shown smashing police cars in central London at the height of the riots. The woman in the pink top, black leggings and white trainers is a suspect The woman reaches inside the police car as masked youths look on and debris lies across the street The woman in the pink top reaches further inside the car as the masked men continue to hurl rocks at the vehicle The woman is seen clutching a large rock and lifting it up to her head before throwing it at the window of the police car

Ives was invited into the House of Commons two years ago to celebrate the success of a football project run by Leyton Orient Community Sport Programme in East London.



She was awarded the area's Young Sports Performer of the Year in 2008 for her 'outstanding contribution to sport'. The teenager also regularly tales part in fashion shows and has done some modelling.

She sees herself as a budding songwriter and composes lyrics, according to her Twitter page.



On her social networking profiles, she can be seen in a series of provocative poses and revealing clothes.



Sports ambassador: Chelsea Ives at a football promotion event last year with left, former England and Arsenal footballer Martin Keown, and far right, former minister for sport Richard Caborn

Sick society: A gang of youths attempt to smash a shop window during this week's unrest

On Friday she appeared in court looking dishevelled in jeans and a white T-shirt. They are images far removed from those taken during her visit to the Commons.



At the event, the smartly-dressed athlete rubbed shoulders with former England and Arsenal footballer Martin Keown, and former minister for sport and Labour MP for Sheffield Central, Richard Caborn.

Ives has also met London Mayor Boris Johnson and Lord Coe as part of her role as Olympics ambassador.



In July 2010, when Mayor Johnson kicked off the search for an 'Olympic Army', he stressed the importance of presentable ambassadors with positive attitudes and pride in their city. He said:



'We're looking for ambassadors to lead on the front line.



'The Olympic Games are a moment when the city is showing itself off to the world.



'I want visitors to think of the place as somewhere to come back to or nice to live in. Word then gets around that London is a fantastic multi-cultural metropolis full of welcoming people.'



The 8,000 recruits from a variety of backgrounds were chosen earlier this year. The Olympic organisers were not available to comment on whether Ives will be able to continue in the role.



Ives attended Tom Hood School, Waltham Forest, Leytonstone, where she excelled at sport.

She runs 400m, 400m hurdles and relay as well as throwing the shot putt.



Her mother, a medical secretary, is well known in East London as a fundraiser through charity runs and marathons for Sense, Breast Cancer Campaign and Get Kids Going.