Two men jailed for throwing projectiles at Police during riots in Sunderland

Two men who joined in a city centre riot as mass disorder swept through the country have been put behind bars.

Violence erupted in Sunderland on August 2 2024 and mirrored similar shocking scenes across the country.

At Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, during separate hearings, Liam Clarke and Michael McHugh were both jailed for their parts in the riots.

The court heard Clarke, a joiner who has never been in trouble before, threw five missiles at police during a “moment of severe madness” that day.

McHugh, who also has no convictions, said he had been out drinking before things “went pear-shaped” and he threw two projectiles at police during the trouble.

Clarke, 25, of Kirkdale, Spennymoor, County Durham, admitted riot and was jailed for four years.

McHugh, 42, of Haydon Square, Sunderland, admitted riot and was jailed for 40 months.

The court heard during the widespread trouble in the city that day police officers, dogs and horses were pelted with missiles as areas became unsafe for ordinary members of the public.

Officers were met with serious and sustained levels of violence, attacked with flying objects and verbally abused.

Four officers required hospital treatment and some are not fit enough to return to frontline duties.

Police vehicles were targeted and damaged. Several patrol cars needed repairs.

The court heard the city’s police hub was set on fire, business premises were smashed and shops were looted.

Northumbria Police Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine said in an impact statement police vehicles as well as community buildings and businesses came under attack that day.

Ms Jardine said the violence was met with a £1.517m policing operation and the full psychological cost to officers involved is yet to be known.

Sunderland Echo