A thug who threw 19 missiles at police officers during the 2024 summer riots in Sunderland has been jailed for almost four years.

James Cummings, 39, also launched bricks and scaffolding poles, cockily walked up to the policing line and kicked an officer’s shield. Donning a hoody and a face covering, some of the objects he hurled also hit police dogs and horses, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Cummings, who encouraged the baying mob around him, launched a brick which smashed the rear window of a police car, while seven cop vehicles were damaged in total during the violence.

He was part of a gang who arranged to meet in Sunderland City Centre on August 2, 2024, following a spate of far-right riots across the country in the aftermath of the murder of three young girls in a Southport stabbing attack.

After initially denying he was involved when police questioned him in October last year, he admitted it in December 2024 and said it was a drunken ‘moment of madness’. The court heard how Northumbria Police Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine said the ‘appalling scenes’ from that day will have a ‘long lasting impact on the community’.

She said officers were met with ‘sustained violence, attacked with missiles, bricks and scaffolding poles, with some requiring hospitalisation’. The financial cost to Northumbria Police is around £1.5million, it was said.

Cummings, who has 14 previous convictions for 19 offences between 2005 and this year, was an ‘active and persistent participant’ in the disorder, the court heard. As she sentenced him to 44-months in jail for one offence of rioting, Her Honour Judge Carolyn Scott said the group had ‘gathered in an orgy of mindless destruction’.

“You and others brought shame on the City of Sunderland,” she told him. “Police in particular were subject to sustained violence, they were pelted with missiles, a police hub was set on fire. Officers were injured and undoubtedly have suffered psychological harm.”

She described how businesses were damaged, to the cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds, adding: “Members of the community where you live were left shocked and in fear. Those participating in mass disorder must expect severe sentences for what was done, and to deter others.”

The dad of four, from Hutton Crescent in Hutton Henry, Hartlepool, was ‘mortified’ by footage of the chaos shown in court, his defence solicitor Mr Hart said. He added: “There is no excuse for the terrifying criminality countrywide during the summer before last.

“The racist, right wing agenda was spurred on by those who should know better and those who don’t care. They prey on the fears of people and stoke up resentment, and in this case to devastating effect.

“He offers no mitigation or excuse or justification for his behaviour that day, he only apologises to the community as a whole, to his family, who will suffer greatly because of his actions and of course the police who, like him, are often local and hardworking, and don’t deserve to be put in danger like they were that day. He is sorry.

“The only thing he takes significant issue with is that he’s (called) an Islamophobe. He is not the bigot that he is made out to be in the pre sentence report. He holds no ill will against others. The online tinderbox that was pervasive across these islands that week was difficult to avoid.”

Referencing the murder of the children in Southport, he said that Cummings was ‘thinking of his kids being killed’, adding: “He is not a sophisticated man.” He claimed it was not driven by racism but ‘fear and alcohol’.

Sunderland Echo

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

Sam Asgari-Tabar smashed into the Sunderland care home with such force it caused the first floor to collapse onto residents on the ground floor

A car thief who left a 94-year-old woman with a broken neck and spine after smashing into a care home during a police chase has been jailed for more than five years.

Sam Asgari-Tabar had exceeded 100mph in a desperate bid to flee from police in a car he had stolen with Reece Parish, when he lost control and crashed into the care home building.

A 94-year-old woman living in Highcliffe Care Home, in Witherwack, Sunderland, was badly injured and had to be dug out of rubble when the BMW slammed into the care home with so much force a ceiling collapsed on top of her.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 94-year-old, who has dementia, suffered fractured vertebrae and had to be pulled out of the rubble by firefighters. Several other elderly residents were also injured and the building suffered £260,000 of damage and the home lost £411,000, the court heard.

As Asgari-Tabar was locked up, it emerged he was already banned from the roads for drug driving and on a suspended sentence for assaulting his parents. Now he has been jailed for five years and eight months for robbery and causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was also given a seven year seven months driving ban. Parish got three years and one month for the robbery and a separate offence of violent disorder during the infamous Sunderland riots.

Judge Stephen Earl said: “This was one of the worst cases of its type I’ve encountered in 45 years of practising the law, including 25 years on the bench.”

He added: “It was appalling, this vehicle went straight through the downstairs lounge where people were sitting as the upper lounge collapsed onto the lower lounge, causing residents to fall through the floor and suffer significant injuries.

The people living there range in age from 60 to 97 and many of them suffer from debilitating illnesses. Of those, a considerable number suffer from dementia or related illnesses. That means they are unable to comprehend that which happened to them, other than the fear and shock it must have engendered in them when this appalling accident took place.

“They were being cared for in a place they were entitled to feel safe. They were not safe, Mr Asgari-Tabar, as a result of your appalling actions that day.”

The court heard events had begun earlier on July 10, when Asgari-Tabar and Parish had attended a house in Fenham on the premise of wanting to buy a BMW 3 series. Having haggled the price down to £1,600, they asked for a lift to a cashpoint to withdraw money to pay for it.

However they then said they had been unable to take money out but would transfer the payment electronically. Asgari-Tabar then said his phone battery was flat and asked for a charger. The sister of a woman who was in the car went to get a charger, leaving the woman alone with Asgari-Tabar and Parish in the car.

When she came back the car and her sister had gone. It later transpired neither of them had the funds to pay for the car and prosecutors say they intended to steal the car from the outset. The woman who was driven away in the car said as soon as her sister went inside, one of the men shouted “Let’s go, let’s go” and Parish, who was behind the wheel at that point, drove off as the woman opened the window and shouted for help.

They discussed where to leave her and tried to pull her out in a side street but she resisted as her phone was in the car. They did eventually get her out of the car and Asgari-Tabar took over driving at that point.

After being bundled out of the car, she reported the stolen car to police. In a victim impact statement, she said the ordeal has had a traumatic impact on her.

Details of the car were circulated and it was spotted by police on the A1231 in Washington. Dash cam footage shows the car being driven dangerously, including 75mph in a 20mph zone, going through a red light, on the wrong side of the road and it then goes over 100mph before smashing into the care home.

Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said: “The care home had been subject to what is described as a catastrophic impact by the vehicle.”

The court heard there is a lounge and lobby on the ground floor and likewise on the first floor. Due to the impact of the crash, the upper floor collapsed, bringing the ceiling down on residents sitting on the ground floor.

As the emergency services moved in to the care home, the roof was still falling in as residents who could move were evacuated. Some residents were caught in the collapse and required emergency attention.

One woman, the 94-year-old dementia sufferer, was trapped under the rubble and had to wait for an ambulance. She had suffered serious injuries, including three fractured vertebrae.

In a victim impact statement, her son said: “The ceiling came down on top of her. I later found out firefighters had to dig her out from the rubble and cut her clothes off to examine her.

“I can’t imagine the fear she and other residents would have felt. My only consolation is she can’t remember because of her dementia.

“She had broken bones and multiple fractures of her spine and neck. Due to her condition she doesn’t understand what the neck brace was and tried to remove it.”

He added that the pensioner used to teach children and added: “She spent six weeks in hospital and was discharged back to the care home, still with fractures to her neck and spine. She’s lost a lot of the independence she enjoyed before the crash.

“She’s lost a lot of the mobility she had and needs to be moved around in a wheelchair at times. She didn’t even want to celebrate her 95th birthday recently. The staff say she is not the person she was before.

“The remaining years or months of her life will not be as comfortable or happy as we had hoped.”

Other residents were also injured in the crash, including a 78-year-old woman who suffered a fractured wrist, a 70-year-old man who suffered cuts and bruises, a 97-year-old woman who was kept in hospital for two days and an 87-year-old woman who had cuts and skin loss.

The court heard the damage to the care home left a repair bill of £260,000 and the total loss to the company was £411,000. Some residents had to be moved as a result of what happened.

Asgari-Tabar, 21, of Stratford Avenue, Sunderland, who has 21 previous convictions, including for robbery and who was on a suspended sentence at the time for assaulting his parents and banned from driving for drug driving, and Parish, 21, of Fordham Road, Sunderland who has nine previous convictions, both admitted robbery of the car and Asgari-Tabar also admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Parish also admitted violent disorder in relation to the riot in Sunderland on August 2 last year.

Nick Lane, for Asgari-Tabar, said he is ashamed and remorseful and is concerned for the wellbeing of the 94-year-old woman. Chris Knox, for Parish, said he was young at the time.

The Chronicle

Liam Willdigg was caught throwing a stone at counter protesters

A man who threw a stone as mass violence broke out in Hanley has been spared jail. Liam Willdigg got involved in the protest on August 3, 2024 with both his parents in the wake of the Southport murders.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that when someone in the rival group threw a stone in his direction he picked it up and hurled it back.

Now the 26-year-old has been sentenced to two years, suspended for 18 month. Prosecutor Chandan Kang said: “There were protests taking place that day outside mosques and in the city centre.

“The defendant was seen at 11.30am. At one stage he appeared to be filming. He can be seen at the frontline next to the police. At 1.38pm he arrived as part of a large group walking towards the mosque. He was captured on CCTV carrying out a throwing motion.”

Willdigg handed himself into the police on January 29 this year. He admitted being present and throwing a stone to a group of protesters. He agreed that was wrong and he should not have done it.

Willdigg, of Florence Road, Hanford, pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Scott Ashdown, mitigating, said Willdigg was in Hanley for a number of hours. Mr Ashdown said: “Other people were behaving in a racially aggressive manner, picking up stones. He sought to prevent that sort of behaviour from going on. He expressed his displeasure to those who behaved in such a way.

“At Town Road there were a number of counter protesters in possession of improvised weapons and they were throwing stones at those in the vicinity of the grass verge.

“It was foolish. He accepts when a particular item landed in his general vicinity he impulsively picked it up and threw it. He accepts that reaction was completely unacceptable and unlawful.

“To his credit he admitted his part. He did not seek to minimise his part. His part was minimal, fleeting and entirely impulsive. It is very unlikely that the stone would have reached its target.”

As part of the suspended sentence Willdigg must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement for 30 days and 240 hours unpaid work.

Judge Richard McConaghy said: “On July 29 last year there was an appalling and broadly publicised incident at a dance studio in Southport. The man involved was convicted of the murder of three young girls and 10 counts of attempted murder. In the days that followed there was significant misinformation online which focused on his ethnicity and immigration status.

“There were protests including in Hanley and counter protests. On August 3 last year there was a protest in and around Town Road and the area around the mosque. It descended into violence. There were police in riot gear.

“Threats were made with weapons. Some had been brought to the scene. Many others were picked up there. Missiles, such as bricks, were thrown. Pieces of wood were picked up and brandished. Police who tried to maintain the order were abused and argued with by people intent on threatening and using violence. All on a Saturday afternoon when the town centre was busy. Members of the public and police officers were injured. Public safety and public order were put under threat. The disruption caused was significant.

“You had attended Hanley with both of your parents and were there for several hours. You were present from about 11.30am and were with a large group who advanced on a mosque after 1.30pm. There were police present trying to keep the peace. There was no need for any physical confrontation whatsoever between the two groups. Large stones were thrown from both sides over the police line. You were one of the throwers. You indicated you had picked up a stone thrown towards you from the other group but had not hit you.

“Your involvement in violent acts came from the throwing of that one stone. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. Due to the fact that the Crown have taken the view that they can only allege a momentary involvement in violence on your part, the casting of a stone that could not be said to have hit anybody else, I have just formed the view that in your case the sentence can be suspended.”

Stoke Sentinel