Coundon ex-soldier looted shop at Middlesbrough riot

An ex-soldier from County Durham who threw a rock at police and looted a shop during last summer’s riot in Middlesbrough has finally been brought to justice.

Jacob Poole was eventually tracked down thanks to his social media activity and was arrested at an airport as he attempted to fly out of the country.

The 25-year-old was captured on CCTV encouraging others to get involved in the violent disorder which ripped through Middlesbrough town centre on August 4 last year in the wake of the murder of three children in Southport.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Poole’s image was shared at the start of the year as Cleveland Police continued to round up suspects involved in the largescale disorder.

Saba Shan, prosecuting, said the defendant was tracked through CCTV as he armed himself with rocks, smashed pieces of concrete and encouraged others to throw missiles at police and property.

She said the protesters then started to loot the Tesco Express on Parliament Road resulting in four members of staff being forced to lock themselves in an office for their own safety while almost £19,000 worth of stock was stolen.

Poole, of Malvern Walk, Coundon, County Durham, pleaded guilty to violent disorder when he appeared in court last month following his arrest.

Christopher Knox, mitigating, said his client had served for four years in the army before deciding to leave and the father-of-one was now trained to work offshore.

“He was not a prime mover in the disorder, he has got swept up and carried on,” he said.

“He has learned his lesson and is anxious to be a useful citizen. This was a lapse; it was a particularly unfortunate and unattractive lapse but he has done what he can do to rehabilitate himself since then.”

Judge Francis Laird KC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, sentenced the ex-squaddie to two years in prison for his role in the disorder.

He said: “You threw a missile at the police line and as you were walking along Parliament Road, you picked up a piece of concrete and smashed it onto the ground.

“You encourage another person to throw a brick at a residential property. As you continued along the road, you were seen to throw another object onto the ground.

“Twice, you were seen throwing missiles at private properties and then you joined other marchers looting a Tesco Express.

“You were observed leaving that shop carrying items that you had stolen.”

Northern Echo