Hull rioter jailed after making ‘serious mistakes’ on notorious day

A court heard he was caught on CCTV fighting with police, damaging a car and kicking at a shop shutter while staff tried to close it

A Hull rioter was jailed after CCTV captured him fighting with police, damaging a car and kicking at a shop shutter as staff attempted to close it.

Jamie Thompson, 30, of Vauxhall Grove, off Walker Street, Hull, admitted violent disorder and burglary on August 3, 2024.

Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that Thompson was one of a large number of people involved in a number of incidents which were captured on film, thanks to CCTV cameras, police body-worn cameras and drones and footage posted on TikTok. He was dressed in a green T-shirt, a black baseball cap and sunglasses in footage shown near the Royal Hotel on Ferensway, Hull, at around 3pm.

But later he changed his clothes. He behaved aggressively towards police officers and footage showed him pushing against officers with riot shields and fighting with them. He was filmed in close proximity to the men organising and leading the infamous riot.

At shortly after 5pm, Thompson and others were captured attacking a BMW car containing three Romanian men, whose car had been diverted due to the violence on the streets of Hull city centre. One of the men fled from the car and was chased by Thompson.

Cameras later captured him returning to the car and kicking and smashing the car wing mirror. Thompson’s clothes had changed since the earlier violence and he was also carrying a pink bag.

Staff at Morrisons Daily in Jameson Street attempted to close the shutters due to the violence in the street but Thompson kicked out at the shutters.

The Assistant Chief Constable of Humberside Police, Thom McLoughlin, had previously said that the cost of the violence in Hull city centre had run to “hundreds of thousands of pounds” and led to injuries among several police officers.

Connor Stuart, mitigating, said that Thompson accepted that he made “serious mistakes” and used “impulsive actions.” He was in a stable relationship and had accommodation.

Judge John Thackray KC said Hull had a proud link with Freetown in Sierra Leone, Africa, due to slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce, but the city centre experienced “racist, hate-fuelled, mob violence” on August 3, 2024. There had been immeasurable damage and 11 police officers were injured, one of them permanently scarred by the violence.

Thompson had been part of the “baying mob” who terrified families in the city centre. “It is impossible to imagine the fear of children cowering in a garage hearing threats to kill,” said Judge Thackray.

It had been “depressing” viewing the CCTV footage and hearing repeated racist chanting and seeing looting of commercial premises. “You were involved in one of them,” said Judge Thackray. “It was widespread, large-scale violence on people and property.”

Thompson was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Hull Daily Mail