A masked protester has become the seventh person to be sentenced for violent disorder outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Luke Fleming attacked police vans and shoved officers during a protest by The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, on 17 July.

He was motivated to commit violence by his “hostile” views towards asylum seekers, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

The 22-year-old, of Thaxted Road in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, admitted violent disorder and was given a prison term of one year and nine months, suspended for two years.

Judge Alexander Mills said Fleming had a “significant” ADHD diagnosis which reduced his ability to make sensible decisions.

“That does not excuse what you did, but it does reduce how much responsibility you have,” he told the defendant.

The arrest – and subsequent jailing – of asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu for sexual offences triggered the initially peaceful protest at 16:00 BST.

However, prosecutor Sam Willis said the arrival of counter-demonstrators sparked clashes an hour-and-a-half later.

“Police officers were subject to sustained attacks for four hours,” said Willis, adding they were punched, kicked and had missiles “repeatedly thrown” at them.

Footage played to the court showed Fleming, who arrived on a moped, wearing a black face covering and coat while grappling with police officers.

The prosecutor said he joined in with “large scale acts of violence” upon arrival, including attacking several police vans.

Mills added: “You threw an object at a police van and you were part of a group acting in a violent and threatening way.”

He said protesters used the arrest of Kebatu as a “cynical excuse to cause mayhem”.

Nicholas Ferrari, mitigating, said events “spiralled very quickly out of control”.

He insisted Fleming’s behaviour was uncharacteristic when considering he had no previous convictions.

As part of his sentence, Fleming will be subject to an electronically monitored curfew between 20:00 and 07:00 for six months.

Fleming’s father briefly collapsed in the public gallery after hearing his son would not be sent to prison.

Three other protesters were jailed in October, while Lee Gower, 43, and 38-year-old Shaun Thompson, both from Epping, were sentenced earlier in June.

Aaron Elles, 28, from Harlow, also received a prison sentence of one year and eight months in October.

Four others are due to be sentenced in August.

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Kevin Reeves (Image: Erin Rhodes)

Two men involved in violent disorder following the murder of Henry Nowak have been jailed for a total of four years and 14 months.

Noah Etherington, 18, and Kevin Reeves, 31, were among three people sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday for their part in what the judge described “widespread acts of violence”.

The third defendant, Tyler Burley, 18, was handed a suspended sentence.

During the unrest 12 police officers were injured, parked cars were damaged, and families were left terrorised by ugly scenes outside their homes.

Much of the violence took place on Belmont Road, where Mr Nowak was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa after a night out in 2025.

Anger erupted after it emerged that Digwa falsely claimed to have been attacked by Mr Nowak, resulting the student being arrested and handcuffed by police as he lay dying in the street.

Burley, of Shakespeare Avenue in Southampton, Etherington, of Rowbury Road in Havant, and Reeves, of Portswood Road in Southampton all admitted violent disorder.

Siobhan Linsley, prosecuting, said Etherington threw three missiles at police, one of which appeared to be part of a brick. She added that Reeves also hurled missiles at officers, including part of a chair frame.

Reeves had 46 previous convictions for 87 offences, including burglary, battery and robbery, the court was told.

Bridget O’Hagan, mitigating for Etherington, said: “He got swept up in the emotion of a completely ridiculous incident that got completely out of hand and he bitterly regrets it.

“There was clearly adrenaline pumping. He is very disappointed in himself and has let his family down.”

Juliet Osborn, mitigating for Reeves, said the defendant became involved when the protest passed his house, adding: “He made a terrible and life-disrupting decision that day.”

Reeves was jailed for three years and four months and Etherington was sent to a young offenders’ institution for one year and ten months.

Ms Linsley said Burley threw at least eight items at police, including a branch. He later told police he got “carried away” and expressed remorse.

Audrey Archer, mitigating for Burley, said the defendant suffered a traumatic childhood and had also lived through “tragic circumstances”.

Referring to the offence he committed she said: “It has taken away his good character. He accepts full responsibility.”

Judge William Mousley KC cited Burley’s prospects of rehabilitation and the weeks he had already spent in custody. He was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders institution, suspended for two years.

Referring to the events of June 2, the judge said a “mob” carried out widespread acts of violence which caused fear, distress, and disturbance.

The court has heard that around 1,000 people gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station the day after Digwa was jailed for a least 21 years for Henry Nowak’s murder.

The University of Southampton student was fatally stabbed in Belmont Road – a short distance from the Digwa family home on St Denys Road.

The protest turned violent after hundreds of those taking part marched more than two miles to Portswood amid shouts of “Do you want the house?” and “Get them out”.

An incorrect address began circulating among the protesters, raising fears that an innocent family would be targeted.

During the violence that followed, 12 police officers and a police dog were injured, largely as a result of being pelted with bricks and rocks.

In a victim personal statement, British Transport Police officer Ruby Stephenson said: “At one point I didn’t think we’d make it out alive, or without serious injury.

“I have never experienced such violence or hatred towards police.”

The policing operation involved specially-trained officers from across the south, including Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, and cost £443,000. Southampton City Council spent £6,700 on clean-up tasks and other costs.

Daily Echo

Ryan Atkinson has been jailed for two years for violent disorder (Image: Hampshire police)

A former soldier who has completed two tours of Afghanistan in the Army threw a frying pan at police during the Henry Nowak protest in Southampton.

Ryan Atkinson has been jailed for two years after being part of a “mob” that pursued police on Belmont Road – near the scene of Mr Nowak’s murder.

Southampton Crown Court heard that Atkinson, 36, picked up a frying pan in the street and threw it at a police line, narrowly missing officers.

Later he stood in a garden outside a block of flats and repeatedly punched police riot shields as officers stood in the street below.

The disorder took place on June 2 – the day after Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for at least 21 years for murdering Mr Nowak, 18, in Belmont Road in December last year.

Anger erupted after it emerged the student was arrested and handcuffed by police as he lay dying in the street. The officers initially believed Digwa when he lied about being the victim of a racially aggravated assault.

It took officers eight minutes to discover that Mr Novak had been stabbed by Digwa, who was then arrested but not handcuffed.

A peaceful protest outside Southampton Central Police Station turned violent after hundreds of those present marched more than two miles to Belmont Road, which witnessed two hours of “significant disorder”.

Siobhan Linsley, prosecuting, said there were shouts of “Do you want the Digwa address?” and “Get them out”.

She added that Atkinson, of Highcliff Avenue, was dressed in a khaki camouflage-style jacket and a beanie hat. He spotted a frying pan, picked it up, and was “almost skipping down the street” as protesters pursued police.

The court heard that the policing operation cost £443,000, with officers being drafted in from across the south, including London.

Stephen Tricker, mitigating for Atkinson, said his client made full admissions to police when interviewed in the aftermath of the protest.

“He was genuinely remorseful. He accepted he got caught up in the moment. He says that if he could turn the clock back he would not repeat his actions.”

Mr Tricker said Atkinson had spent four years in the army, including two tours Afghanistan.

Judge William Mousley KC said the defendant was an active participant in direct acts of violence, which included bricks, chairs, and other objects being hurled at police.

Daily Echo

A court hearing for a woman who admitted throwing a stone at police in the Henry Nowak disorder erupted into shouts of obscenities when she was denied bail.

District Judge Stephen Apted ordered Amanda McCartney into the cells when he remanded her in custody following her guilty plea to violent disorder on the night of June 2 in Southampton.

The 52-year-old, of Inverness Road in Fratton, Portsmouth, had thrown a stone towards officers at a police cordon and sworn at them, calling them “scum” and other terms, a court heard.

But onlookers in the public gallery at Southampton Magistrates’ Court erupted into shouts of “two-tier justice” and “you’re a disgrace” when her application for bail was rejected.

As the judge denied her bail, a woman in the public gallery shouted: “She might have cancer, she needs treatment, this is two-tier justice, you’re a disgrace.”

Another woman, who sounded close to tears, said: “She’s the nicest lady in the world you nutters.”

Among a series of obscenities directed at the prosecutor and judge, further shouts of “she might have cancer” and “I hope you feel proud prosecutor” erupted from the public gallery.

Natalie Dennington, defending, had earlier told the court that her client was not involved in the worst of the disorder and left the scene early.

As reported, a protest started at Southampton Central Police Station involving 1,000 people before demonstrators turned violent in Portswood close to killer Vickrum Digwa’s home.

McCartney was on crutches at the time and positioned at the front of the protest earlier in the evening and was not seen on CCTV during the more violent later stages of the incident, Ms Dennington said.

In a bail application, Ms Dennington said: “She said she was embarrassed and she then left the scene and did not stay for what took place.”

She said that McCartney has a strong standing in the community, is considered of good character, and had been arrested nearly two weeks after the protest at her home.

The court also heard that McCartney, who lives with her son, had recently undergone tests for cancer and was worried that being taken into custody could affect her access to treatment.

District Judge Apted did not grant McCartney bail and referred the case to Southampton Crown Court for sentencing.

Thomas Thacker, 35, of Portchester Road in Southampton also pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at the crown court.

Both Thacker and McCartney are due to be sentenced on June 30.

Violence broke out over the bodycam footage showing police arresting 18-year-old Henry after he had been fatally stabbed by Digwa, 23, of St Denys Road, Portswood. Digwa was jailed for life for the murder with a minimum term of 21 years.

Daily Echo

Three men have been convicted of committing violent disorder during protests outside an asylum hotel in Essex.

Up to 500 people gathered outside The Bell Hotel in Epping on 17 July after a migrant living there was charged with – and later jailed for – sex offences.

Keith Silk, 33, Jonathan Glover, 47, and Charlie Land, 24, formed part of an “aggressive mob” among the crowd, a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

The defendants, from Essex and Hertfordshire, are due to be sentenced on 19 August.

Prosecutors said while the protest was initially peaceful, it descended into “serious public disorder” at about 17:30 BST.

It followed the arrival of about 50 counter-demonstrators, which led to clashes among the two groups.

Silk, of Torrington Drive, Loughton, threw a bottle at a police vehicle and was caught on camera trying to pull a hotel sign from the ground.

Footage also showed a hooded man, identified as Land, of Warren Close in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, smashing the windscreen of a police vehicle and ripping off wing mirrors.

Glover, of Springfields in Waltham Abbey, was seen confronting officers and getting into an altercation with them.

Prosecutor Sam Willis said Glover lost two teeth when an officer pushed him back with their riot shield.

A senior police officer previously described the scenes as the worst he had seen in his 20 years of policing.

Silk and Land were also found guilty of criminal damage.

Several other people have been convicted following the demonstrations outside The Bell Hotel on 17 July.

Three others were jailed in October, while Lee Gower, 43, and 38-year-old Shaun Thompson, both from Epping, were sentenced earlier this month.

Another protester, 53-year-old Phillip Curson, from Upminster in east London, is due to be sentenced on 14 August.

The Essex force has said policing the repeated protests last summer cost £1.54m.

Last week, the Home Office said fire safety concerns had been identified at the Bell Hotel and all asylum seekers were removed.

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A thug who climbed on top of a police van and engaged in “shameless” violent disorder during a protest in Epping last summer has been jailed.

Shaun Thompson, 38, appeared to cry as he watched back video footage of his behaviour at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday (June 15).

The protester, of Epping, was described as having been “clearly riled up” in the trouble which broke out near The Bell Hotel in Epping on July 17. Thompson – who has a series of previous convictions, including six for battery and two for criminal damage – engaged “quite willingly” in the widespread and significant disorder, the court heard.

Judge Alexander Mills, sentencing, said the protester had “goaded” police officers and “created a real risk of harm” by clambering on top of the moving van. He sentenced Thompson to two years and seven months behind bars.

Chelmsford Crown Court was told on Monday (June 15) that police estimate around 500 people attended the protest on July 17. Mr Sam Willis, prosecutor, said the protest began peacefully but, between around 5.30pm and 10pm, the protest “descended into serious public disorder in the town centre and around The Bell Hotel.”

“Police were subjected to sustained attack for four hours,” Mr Willis said. “Officers were pushed, punched and kicked. Police vans were damaged. Damage was caused to public property and caused the closure of nearby businesses.”

The court was shown footage of Thompson, wearing an England flag as a cape, at the front of a police cordon. In multiple clips of the same incident he was seen clambering onto a Metropolitan Police van as it was moving.

Mr Barry Gilbert, defence, said Thompson has a “long-standing mental health difficulty”. He added: “What we are watching is a man that is not well. I ask, will it do any good to lock him up? It may be that’s what is coming. I would ask you not to do that.”

Thompson had admitted violent disorder and criminal damage relating to the Met Police van at previous court hearings. His criminal record includes nine convictions for 15 offences, including six for battery.

Multiple protests were held outside the hotel last summer after asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu was charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. The Ethiopian national – who came on a small boat to the UK – was convicted of five offences, including sexual assault. He was jailed but wrongfully freed from HMP Chelmsford in October before he was detained and deported to Ethiopia.

Around 100 police officers were deployed to the disorder in Epping from across Essex while neighbouring forces such as the Met, British Transport Police, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire constabularies all supported.

A senior officer with two decades of experience said he had “never witnessed disorder on this scale in Essex, and certainly not in a town like Epping”. The disorder also impacted local businesses who reported having to close early and suffering financial losses. A nearby Shell garage was said to have been the victim of shoplifting and criminal damage during the incident.

Judge Mills said: “This was not a protest. It’s shameless violent disorder. It’s you demonstrating what little regard you had for the police in part because you thought they were in the wrong, apparently for standing up for asylum seekers. They were not standing up for any group but trying to keep law and order for the people in Epping.”

Thompson was sentenced to two years and seven months immediate imprisonment.

Essex Live

A teenager charged with violent disorder after rioting broke out at a Southampton protest has been released on bail – but has been banned from going to protests.

Callum Cool, who threw a bottle at police during the violence on June 2, must not attend any protest or gathering with more than ten people while on bail before his sentencing at the end of the month.

Appearing at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning, Cool saw his case adjourned until June 29, when he will be sentenced at the city’s crown court.

Cool, 18, of Robinia Green, Southampton, pleaded guilty to violent disorder during the hearing.

Varun Chuni, prosecuting, said the defendant threw a bottle at a police line during the disturbances that broke out on June 2.

Clare Rose, for Cool, described the defendant as an “incredibly bright young man” who lived locally with his family.

She added that Cool was only 17 at the time he committed the offence, adding that he had no previous convictions.

She said Cool had spent three days in custody, adding: “This has been a taste of what might lie ahead for him.”

District Judge Robinson released him on conditional bail, saying he must live and sleep at his home address and comply with an electronically monitored curfew between 6pm and 1am.

Cool was also ordered not to attend any protest or gathering involving more than ten people.

The demonstration, which involved 1,000 people, started outside Southampton Central Police Station before hundreds moved on to the Portswood area where student Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed last December.

Anger erupted after police body-worn video was released showing Mr Nowak being placed in handcuffs moments before he became unconscious and subsequently died.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, who lived in a nearby road with his family, was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 21 years for his murder.

Daily Echo

Three further men have been jailed for violent disorder at a protest in Southampton following the murder of Henry Nowak.

It brings the total to 13 men jailed over the disorder last week during which 12 police officers and a police dog were injured.

Denis Read, 28, of Addison Road, Sarisbury Green, was jailed for two years and two months, Harry Varney, 24, of Briarswood, Southampton, was jailed for two years and eight months, and Benjamin Jones, 23, of Locksley Road, Eastleigh, was jailed for three years.

The protest on 2 June took place after police bodycam footage was released showing Nowak, 18, handcuffed as he lay dying after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa.

Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years.

Read, Varney and Jones admitted the offence at Southampton Magistrates’ Court and were sentenced by Judge William Mousley KC at Southampton Crown Court.

The sentencing of Mariusz Szczyglo, 45, of Grove Road, Southampton, was adjourned until 30 June.

The court heard previously the disorder had cost police £443,000 for staffing and accommodation, while Southampton City Council had paid £6,700 in clean-up costs.

A total of 22 people have been charged in connection with the incident, which initially saw crowds demonstrating outside the city centre police station, before gathering close to the Digwa family home.

Digwa stabbed Nowak with a large blade in December 2025, which he said he carried on grounds of his Sikh faith, then lied to police at the scene, falsely claiming he was the victim of a racist attack.

It lead officers to arrest Nowak instead of his killer.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since launched an investigation into the force’s response.

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