A 35-year-old man has appeared in court charged with violent disorder after unrest in Bristol last month.
Ashley Hunt of St George, Bristol, was charged on Monday and appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court earlier.
He has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 17 September.
Avon and Somerset Police said a total of 49 people have been arrested following the disorder on Saturday 3 August and 36 have subsequently been charged.
A rioter who has been jailed after taking part in major public disorder outside a hotel housing asylum seekers will miss the birth of his third child, a court has heard.
Kurt Hooley was captured on police body-worn footage trying to take an officer’s riot shield during the incident at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August.
Hooley, 34, of no fixed abode, was also part of a group who taunted police and threw missiles at officers protecting the hotel and its occupants, Sheffield Crown Court was told.
Hooley’s pregnant girlfriend, who observed the hearing from the public gallery, appeared visibly upset as he was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment on Tuesday.
Hooley, who had three previous convictions, including two Section 4 public order offences, had pleaded guilty to violent disorder at an earlier hearing.
Neil Coxon, prosecuting, said Hooley was eventually identified through the footage circulated thanks to his distinctive clothing and tattoos.
When arrested and questioned by police, he claimed he was just a bystander and also denied being present at the scene at all, Mr Coxon said.
The court heard that despite Hooley believing he had done nothing wrong, he was “fearful of ramifications” and burned the clothing he wore that day.
Victim impact statements read out in court detailed how distressing the incident had been for police officers and hotel staff.
One officer said it felt “like we were fighting for our lives”, while another stated she had witnessed “indescribable acts of violence” at the scene of the riot.
Meanwhile, a security guard employed at the hotel said despite the passage of time, he could still hear the sound of stones being thrown at windows and the fire alarm, which rang for hours that day.
Also sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday was father-of-three Richard Harrison.
The 37-year-old, of Ingsfield Lane, Rotherham, was filmed being verbally abusive towards police and pushing a police officer to the ground.
Mr Coxon described Harrison as “the catalyst for the violence that followed”, stating that the officer had been left vulnerable to further attacks from rioters.
Judge Sarah Wright was told that when Harrison’s daughter was shown the footage, she saw her “dad in a crowd he does not belong in” and she had read “about a man she does not recognise” in the news.
The court heard that at the time of the disorder, Harrison had been the subject of a community order in relation to a previous conviction.
Judge Wright sentenced him to two years and six months in jail for violent disorder.
She told him she had taken his mental health and addiction problems into account.
A man accused of assaulting a female police officer during unrest in Stoke-on-Trent has pleaded guilty to two charges.
Andrew Townley, 45, of Hanley, admitted violent disorder and assault by beating of an emergency worker at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Tuesday.
He was remanded into custody to reappear at the court for sentencing on 20 September.
Staffordshire Police said officers were hit and pelted with missiles during clashes in Hanley on 3 August amid widespread disorder in the UK.
The force has arrested more than 70 people and charged 30 following the disorder in the city and in Tamworth the following day.
Riots and anti-immigration protests took place in the country at the start of August.
The unrest followed the fatal stabbings of three girls in Southport in July and was fuelled by false online rumours online that the suspect in the killings was an asylum seeker.
The nursery worker hurled racial abuse and struck out at a police officer’s riot shield during violent scenes in Southport
A nursery worker cried and hung her head in shame in court as she was shown what happened when “the adrenaline got the better of her”.
Ellie Clarke hurled racial abuse and struck out at a police officer’s riot shield as violence erupted in Southport following the fatal stabbings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar in July.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Tuesday, that crowds had gathered in the area around St Luke’s Road in the town in the evening of July 30, the day after the killings, and hurled missiles towards police officers at the Southport Islamic Society Mosque while chanting “this is our f***ing country”, “s***houses”, “scumbag b*****ds” and “who the f*** is Allah?”. More than 50 PCs were injured during the incident with “significant” damage also being caused to residents’ properties.
Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, described how Clarke was seen “at the front of the mob” at around 8.45pm. The 21-year-old, of Chestnut Street in Southport, then pointed towards a cordon which had been formed by officers and shouted “if it was your f***ing daughter who was stabbed dead by a f***ing p**i” and “pushed aggressively” at one of their riots shields.
Appearing in the dock wearing a bright pink cardigan over a black top and with long brown hair, she sat with her head bowed in the dock as bodycam footage of the incident began to be played to the court before wiping her eyes with a tissue. Clarke was arrested on Duke Street in Southport on September 2 in an “agreed meeting” after she had been circulated as wanted.
She gave a prepared statement under interview saying: “I heard about the stabbings in Southport and was very distressed, particularly given the fact that I used to work in a nursery. I was under the impression that there would be a peaceful demonstration.
“My curiosity got the better of my and I went to the front of the crowd. The adrenaline got the better of me and I used language I am ashamed of. I am very sorry for what I did and would like to apologise to the officer involved. I would stress that I was not part of any violent disorder.”
Clarke later pleaded guilty to violent disorder, racially aggravated harassment and assaulting an emergency services worker when appearing before Liverpool Magistrates’ Court last week. She was due to be sentenced in the crown court this afternoon, but the case was adjourned in order for a psychiatric report to be prepared.
Her counsel Daniel Travers told the court that his client had suffered from mental health issues and said that her “involvement was at the lowest end” during an “absolutely appalling incident”. Clarke, who has no previous convictions, was remanded into custody until her new sentencing date on October 22.
Adjourning the case, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: “If I was dealing with the defendant today, there would be a custodial sentence. That might still be the position. This is all designed to assist and enable me to arrive at the correct sentence.”
Shaun Doran, denied violent disorder but admitted a public order offence and prosecutors said his behaviour was intended to provoke violence
A man who took part in disorder during a riot was told in court he brought shame on his city and on the Sunderland football shirt he was wearing.
Shaun Doran had been drinking in a pub which was cleared when trouble flared as thugs gathered on Friday August 2. While he did not use violence to anyone and was not involved in the original disorder, he “provoked violence” by his behaviour, Newcastle Crown Court heard. He has now been jailed for 12 weeks.
Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, said: “He was in Sunderland city centre and was identified from body worn footage wearing a Sunderland football shirt and a blue denim jacket and jeans.
“There were several people in the area and the defendant was in the middle of the road. He picked up bottles and put them in a wheelie bin.” The court heard others later pushed the wheelie bin at police but not Doran.
He was heard shouting “f****** come on” at the police line and was seen gesturing at police and gesturing to the crowd for others to come forward, which Mr Ahmad said was “clearly intended to provoke violence”.
Shorty after that, others threw missiles towards the police but Doran did not do so. He was then seen to approach close to the police line and someone else was heard to shout “go on Shaun”. He was then arrested.
Doran, 48, of Villette Road, Sunderland, who has 44 previous convictions, denied violent disorder and pleaded guilty to a public order offence of using threatening or abusive words of behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence. He was jailed for 12 weeks but due to the time he has been remanded in custody, he will be released imminently.
Judge Tim Gittins told him: “You and many others brought shame on the city of Sunderland, shame on the shirt you were wearing that day.”
Chris Knox, defending, said: “He had a limited involvement, albeit there’s a wider picture. He did not go out to demonstrate. He was in a public house which was cleared by the police, that’s how he got to be in the street.
“He was not anxious to create any disorder. He was somewhat affected by drink but he was not violent to any people or any property.”
Mr Knox added: “He is a carer for his sister and she is in court and is very concerned about him.”
A man who threw a traffic cone at a police officer during rioting in Hull last month has been jailed.
Lewis Carver, 31, of Cape Drive in Anlaby, admitted violent disorder and the assault of an emergency worker and was sent to prison for 16 months.
Carver, who owns a landscaping business, was captured on CCTV at several locations in the city during the unrest on 3 August.
Passing sentence at Hull Crown Court, Judge Mark Bury said the footage had shown Carver to be a “street hooligan”.
Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told the court that Carver played a “prominent role” in the violence and behaved in “an aggressive manner”.
Carver was in King Edward Street when he hurled the cone. An officer was cut on the face and was “likely” to have been left with a scar.
He was also part of a group that targeted a hotel on Ferensway, which housed asylum seekers and was being guarded by police.
Michael Forrester, defending, said Carver, who had no previous convictions, was “deeply ashamed” of his behaviour and offered no explanation except “stupidity”.
Judge Bury said the sentence had to “punish you and deter others”.
A man has admitted assaulting a police officer during a protest in the wake of the Southport stabbings.
Violence broke out in Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth on 3 and 4 August amid widespread disorder across the UK.
Marcus Ramsden, 22, of Goldenhill, in Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to violent disorder in Hanley at a hearing at the city’s crown court on Monday.
He also admitted common assault of an emergency worker and assault by beating of an emergency worker.
Ramsden was bailed to return to the court on 23 September.
Staffordshire Police said it had now arrested 73 people and charged 30 following disorder in the area on 3 and 4 August.
Riots and anti-immigration protests took place across the UK after three young girls were killed in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July, fuelled by false claims on social media that the attacker was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat.
Jordan Gibson sighed and scoffed throughout the court hearing
A dad of two who hurled missiles at police and joined in racist chants in Southport has become the latest to appear in the docks at Liverpool Crown Court.
Jordan Gibson, from Whelley, Wigan, was part of a 1,000-strong mob which descended on the town on Tuesday, July 30, one day after the fatal stabbings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar.
Gibson, 33, had travelled to the town to lay flowers at a vigil in memory of the three girls. But as grieving families and members of the community left the area, he joined a huge gang outside a mosque on nearby St Luke’s Road, where violence quickly broke out as police were called to the scene.
Gibson, wearing a distinctive bright green jacket, was caught on camera running about the chaos, hurling bricks and debris at police officers while joining in with racist chants of “we want our country back” and “Allah, Allah, who the f*** is Allah”. He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, September 9, where he joined several other rioters behind bars after pleading guilty to violent disorder.
So far 96 people have been arrested in connection with the mob violence. Of these, 61 have been charged and 44 – including Gibson – have been sentenced, with Merseyside Police promising “there will be many more to come”.
Prosecutor Louise McClusky said: “Gibson was identifiable on the day due to a distinctive green top with a yellow zig-zag pattern. He was an active participant throughout. He was part of the main crowd instigating violence towards police. In the footage he can be seen bouncing on his toes, apparently revelling in the chaos. He points towards officers and joined in chants.”
Video footage was played to the court showed Gibson running about at the front of the baying crowd, grabbing a wheelie bin and pushing it at a police van. He was also seen jumping up and down and clapping his hands, and hurling missiles towards the police. Around 50 officers were injured during the violence; residents’ properties were damaged, local businesses were looted, and a £100k police carrier was set on fire.
Ms McClusky said: “This defendant was not caught in a moment of madness. His actions were persistent and determined. He was at the front of the crowd, rushing towards police officers who were trying to bring peace in an already troubled area.”
Gibson, a dad of two, repeatedly sighed and scoffed throughout the hearing as Ms McClusky informed the court of his four convictions for six past offences, including the racially aggravated assault of a taxi driver.
Mike Haggerty, defending, said: “This defendant handed himself into the police and he did make a full admission. The defendant had initially entered the area for lawful purposes, initially to lay flowers. But regrettably he became influenced by the crowd, and very much to his regret he became involved in the behaviour you have seen. He was in the most obvious clothing and his actions were spontaneous rather than pre-meditated.
“He very much regrets his actions. He’s both disgusted and ashamed of his behaviour, as are his family.”
Judge Louise Brandon said Gibson, along with others, had used the tragic killings of Bebe, Elsie and Alice as an excuse to carry out violent disorder, which was “motivated by racial hatred”. She said: “This was, without a doubt, racially motivated disorder targeting primarily the Muslim community but also the police officers. This particular incident was made all the more serious by the fact that it took place soon after the tragic events of the previous day, and distress of the local community who, to their greatest credit, came out the very next day to clean up.
“You (Gibson) were an enthusiastic and active participant, positioned yourself at the front of the mob and clearly thoroughly enjoying the chaos and harm that you and other thugs around you were creating.” She sentenced Gibson to 30 months in prison.
Paul Harrison was described as behaving “like a man possessed”
A man who joined a gang of thugs took advantage of his “intimidating stature” to wreak havoc on a grieving town. Hulking Paul Harrison, 30, was caught on camera hauling a full wheelie bin high above his head before throwing it at police during a riot in Southport.
The shocking violence broke out on St Luke’s Road on the evening of July 30, shortly after a candle-lit vigil for six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar, who were fatally stabbed in an horrific attack at a Taylor Swift-themed party the day before. A mob gathered outside the mosque, where violence quickly broke out. Around 50 police officers were injured, residents’ properties were damaged, local businesses were looted and a £100,000 police carrier was set on fire.
A man who joined a gang of thugs took advantage of his “intimidating stature” to wreak havoc on a grieving town. Hulking Paul Harrison, 30, was caught on camera hauling a full wheelie bin high above his head before throwing it at police during a riot in Southport.
The shocking violence broke out on St Luke’s Road on the evening of July 30, shortly after a candle-lit vigil for six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar, who were fatally stabbed in an horrific attack at a Taylor Swift-themed party the day before. A mob gathered outside the mosque, where violence quickly broke out. Around 50 police officers were injured, residents’ properties were damaged, local businesses were looted and a £100,000 police carrier was set on fire.
A man who joined a gang of thugs took advantage of his “intimidating stature” to wreak havoc on a grieving town. Hulking Paul Harrison, 30, was caught on camera hauling a full wheelie bin high above his head before throwing it at police during a riot in Southport.
The shocking violence broke out on St Luke’s Road on the evening of July 30, shortly after a candle-lit vigil for six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar, who were fatally stabbed in an horrific attack at a Taylor Swift-themed party the day before. A mob gathered outside the mosque, where violence quickly broke out. Around 50 police officers were injured, residents’ properties were damaged, local businesses were looted and a £100,000 police carrier was set on fire.
A man who yelled abuse and threw a full drink can at police officers during a riot in Bristol city centre has been jailed.
Zak Baker was captured on police body camera footage throwing punches and kicks at police officers and police dogs during the August 3 disorder in Castle Park.
The 29-year-old, who was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, August 16, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for his involvement in a clash between anti-migrant groups and counter protesters. His Honour Judge Picton said Baker was “very obviously encouraging and enticing the crowd” on August 3.
Video footage showed Baker angrily shouting at police officers, alongside other aggressive and abusive behaviour. He also aimed kicks at police dogs, and threw punches and kicks at officers.
Detective Chief Inspector Clement Goodwin said: “The behaviour of some people on that day was completely unacceptable. It was not a lawful protest. Three people have now been handed lengthy prison sentences after admitting to their involvement in the shameful scenes we saw that day and we are continuing to identify and arrest others who also played a part.
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