Two 16-year-old boys have pleaded guilty to violent disorder in connection with major unrest outside a Rotherham hotel housing asylum seekers.

Sheffield Youth Court heard one of the boys was filmed helping other rioters place a bin on a fire outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on 4 August, while the other added wood to an existing flame.

The latter also admitted arson with intent to endanger life but said he only added the wood because he was “told to do so” by adults present.

The teenagers, who cannot be named due to their ages, had no previous convictions and will be sentenced at the same court on 25 June.

Both youths, who were aged 15 at the time of the offending, were granted unconditional bail ahead of their next hearing.

Magistrates warned the boy, who is facing two charges, that the arson offence was “particularly serious” and could be sent to the crown court.

In his basis of plea, the boy said he was “actively encouraged” by adults to engage in the riot and that he was “deeply sorry” for his actions.

The teen accepted putting wood onto an existing flame but said: “I was not thinking about the consequences and had no intent to endanger life.”

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Supporters of both Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers have been jailed, received extended banning orders and large fines after a fight broke out following a game.

Violence erupted in Westhoughton after the two sides faced each other in August 2023.

Following an investigation and media appeals, officers from Greater Manchester Police executed several early-morning warrants in November the same year.

Bradley Jones, 33 of Rose Avenue, Beech Hill, was jailed for three years and four months for violent disorder, which included being on bail for similar offences from the violent disorder in Southport alongside a five year football banning order (FBO).

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A teenager “viciously and unrelentingly” attacked police officers protecting a hotel housing asylum seekers, a court has heard.

The boy, 17, was “at the heart” of major disorder outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August, Sheffield Youth Court was told on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Owen Burns said the boy attacked police “with any weapon or object he could find” and was filmed throwing missiles and fireworks, using racist slurs and chanting “burn it down” in reference to the hotel.

The youth, who cannot be named due to his age, had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder and has now been handed a 12-month intensive referral order.

The boy, who had no previous convictions, was also ordered to pay £400 in compensation to South Yorkshire Police.

About 400 people descended on the hotel in Rotherham, which was housing approximately 200 asylum seekers at the time.

The situation became increasingly violent as the day progressed, with bricks, fence posts and other missiles hurled at officers and multiple fires set around the building.

Extensive footage collected by police showed the youngster during various pockets of the violence, arming himself with fireworks, throwing them towards officers and smashing the window of a police van.

He was also captured attempting to tip over a police van, forcefully kicking against riot shields, throwing a brick against a hotel window, kicking over a wooden fence and using what was left of it “as ammunition”.

Mr Burns told district judge Tim Spruce: “It is the Crown’s case that he is on the very front lines of the attack.

“His assaults on the officers are sustained, unrelenting and vicious and carried out with any weapon and object he can find at the time.

“My submission is that his sole aim or purpose is to cause injury.”

‘Deeply sorry’

In mitigation, it was heard the boy was 16 at the time of the offence and had no racist views.

Since the riot last year, he had been focusing on his education and had become a father.

The court was told the teenager was “deeply sorry” for his actions and promised that “something like this will never happen again”.

Judge Spruce told the youngster during the hearing that he had “only just been persuaded” to not impose an immediate custodial term.

“Since August I’ve dealt with many young people in your position,” he said.

“I have to say, of all the young people, this is by far the worst violence I have seen.”

The judge added: “This was overtly racist behaviour on your part. You might not be a racist but that’s what it was.”

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In the past week, two men have been jailed for a combined six years, two other men charged and a further three arrests made in relation to violent disorder in Merseyside last summer.

Matthew Carrigan, 33, of Tarvin Road, in Chester, was sentenced on Wednesday 9 April to three years in prison for playing a leading role in the violence in Liverpool city centre on Saturday 3 August 2024.

Officers were able to identify Carrigan on CCTV taking part in the disorder and also encouraging others to do so, including when he urged a group of other men to set fire to a police carrier. Enquiries also found several videos taken by Carrigan on his mobile phone, which showed him walking through the city centre with the violent mob and shouting racist abuse.

Bradley Jones, 33, of no fixed abode but originally from Wigan, was also jailed for three years on Friday 11 April for taking part in disorder in Southport.

Jones was captured on CCTV throwing missiles at officers and their vehicles. At one point, he starts taking items out of a wheelie bin and throws them at a police carrier.

There have also been two more men charged:

– Gareth Bond, 45, of Rawlinson Grove, in Southport, was charged with violent disorder on Friday 4 April and bailed to next appear at Liverpool Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday 23 April.

– Michael Hughes, 40, of Anfield Road, was charged with violent disorder in relation to the incident on County Road on Saturday 3 August and also possession of a controlled Class B drug (cannabis). He was bailed to next appear at Liverpool Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 22 April.

Inquiries into the violent disorder are ongoing and three more people have also been arrested:

– A 44-year-old man from Prescot was arrested on Saturday 5 April on suspicion of violent disorder in Southport. He was detained at Manchester airport after arriving back in the country from holiday. It follows CCTV inquiries into the actions of a male during the disorder who tried to punch and kick officers. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.

– A 32-year-old woman from Bootle was arrested on Thursday 10 April on suspicion of violent disorder and burglary in Southport. She has been bailed pending further enquiries. It follows inquiries into a female who threw missiles at officers and then broke into a nearby shop and stole alcohol.

– A 16-year-old boy from Runcorn has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to County Road. CCTV shows a male throwing several missiles at officers during the shocking scenes of that evening. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.

We have now arrested 194 people, with 151 charged and 134 sentenced to a combined 247 years and six months in prison.

Detective Inspector Paula Jones said: “Every week we are making more arrests and this work is ongoing as we continue to identify people who took part in the despicable scenes in Southport and Liverpool last summer.

“We make no apologies for our relentless pursuit of those involved and we are determined to find as many people as possible, even if they live outside of Merseyside.

“Images and footage are still being worked through, so we strongly advise anyone else who took part in the disorder to do the right thing and hand themselves in before we arrest you.”

We currently have a CCTV appeal containing many people who we still need to speak with because we believe they could have information about the disorder.

The latest gallery of images can be viewed here: Latest CCTV appeal following violent disorder last summer | Merseyside Police

Many of these people could be from outside of Merseyside, specifically Blackburn, Bradford, Chester, Manchester, Ormskirk, Preston, Runcorn, Telford, Wigan and surrounding areas.

If you have any information, you can call 101 or DM @MerPolCC, quoting reference number 24000663787.

Merseyside Police

A father who took his seven-year-old son to a riot at a hotel housing asylum seekers has been jailed.

James Garbutt, 41, was seen with the boy on his shoulders outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August when major violence broke out.

Sheffield Crown Court was also shown footage of Garbutt, of Kingsbrook Chase, Rotherham, pushing two supermarket trolleys into a fast-moving police car in the nearby Aldi car park.

Jailing him for two years and four months, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, told the defendant he was “a dreadful example” to his son and should be “comprehensively ashamed”.

Father-of-three Garbutt, who had 18 previous convictions for various offences such as drug trafficking, harassment, assault and driving while over the prescribed limit, had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

He was also issued with a 10-year criminal behaviour order during the hearing.

The court heard Garbutt, a sales manager who lived near the hotel, came across the disorder while on a day out with the youngster and decided to stay.

Footage showed the pair walking through an increasingly volatile crowd and taking turns filming the scene with Garbutt’s mobile phone.

At around 13:45 BST, Garbutt and the boy were seen in the Aldi supermarket car park, located near to the hotel, where Garbutt grabbed hold of two supermarket trolleys and pushed them into an oncoming police car.

In other clips, Garbutt could be seen bare-chested shortly before a fire was started in front of the hotel’s emergency exit, which prevented those inside from evacuating.

Judge Richardson accepted while Garbutt was “well to the fore” he was there as a “supporter, egging others on” and only actively participated in the disorder in one episode.

Judge Richardson told him: “Unquestionably the most serious aggravating feature of this case is the fact that at all material times you had your seven-year-old son with you.

“At any stage of various incidents you could and should have removed not only yourself but most certainly your son.”
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Two brothers and their cousin attacked police together during last year’s riots, a court has heard.

John and Cameron Williams, 32 and 29, and Connor Hicks, 19, were part of an angry mob carrying out widespread disorder across Sunderland in August, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Hicks filmed on his phone and shouted encouragement as his cousins threw pint glasses at lines of officers.

The trio admitted violent disorder and were each sentenced to two years and one month detention, with the brothers serving that in prison and Hicks going to a young offender institution.

The anti-immigration protest, which was planned in the aftermath of the murder of three girls in Southport, erupted into violence shortly after 16:00 BST on 2 August 2024 with hundreds of people rampaging across the city centre, prosecutor Omar Ahmad said.

Businesses were looted, cars and buildings vandalised and police officers repeatedly attacked with missiles throughout the riot, the court heard.

“It simply wasn’t safe for the ordinary member of the public to be in the city centre,” Mr Ahmad said, adding the “devastating” impact was still being felt by local communities.

Hicks, of Exeter Street, Sunderland, was captured on CCTV goading and shouting abuse at a line of officers, before handing a pint glass to his cousin John Williams to hurl.

Hicks filmed several clips of the action himself during which he could be heard encouraging others to attack, the court heard.

He fled into the crowd as the police line advanced, then ran back to the front and resumed his torrent of abuse when officers stopped, Mr Ahmad said.

John Williams, of Tennyson Avenue in Boldon Colliery, threw two pint glasses at police during the melee and was seen punching and kicking the window of an office building at Keel Square, the court heard.

In his police interview, he said he had been drunk and an “idiot”.

Cameron Williams, of Ridley Street, Sunderland, hurled one pint glass and gestured violently at officers, Mr Ahmad said.

He later told investigators it was “meant to be a peaceful protest” and he could “vaguely recall” throwing a glass.

‘Orgy of destruction’

In a statement read to the court, Northumbria Police chief constable Vanessa Jardin said four officers had required hospital treatment, six police cars were damaged, a police office on Waterloo Place was gutted by fire and officers, dogs and horses were “ferociously attacked” with missiles, including bricks and concrete slabs.

Policing the riot had cost about £1.5m and the long-lasting impact was yet to be realised, she added.

In mitigation for Hicks, Nick Lane said the teenager, who worked laying pavestones for Sunderland City Council, had “deep and genuine shame” for his “loutish behaviour”.

Helen Towers said Cameron Williams was “ashamed, disgusted and appalled” by his actions while John Williams said getting involved had been the “worst decision he ever made”.

They each have two children and grew up exposed to domestic abuse, Ms Towers said.

Judge Carolyn Scott said it was an “orgy of mindless destruction” and the trio had, with others, “brought shame on the city of Sunderland”.

She said those participating in “mass disorder” should expect “severe” sentences, adding “each individual act enflames and encourages others to behave in a similar fashion”.

Judge Scott said the actions of three men were “disgraceful” and “deplorable”.

She said the trio would serve 40% of their sentence before being released on licence.

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