Three jailed for ‘utterly deplorable’ violence

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August 21, 2024
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A man who charged at police officers with a long metal bench is among three men who have been jailed for their part in violent unrest in Hull.

The violence in the city centre on 3 August, which erupted after three girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport, was “utterly deplorable”, Judge John Thackray told Hull Crown Court.

Jordan Murray, 26, of Grasby Road, Hull, had admitted violent disorder and looting two shops at Hull Magistrates’ Court on 12 August. He was handed a two-year jail term on Wednesday.

David Buckle, 39, and Jermaine Glover, 23, were sentenced to three years and two years respectively for their roles.

Buckle, of Southgate Way, Hull, admitted violent disorder at Hull Magistrate’s Court on 14 August.

Glover, of Cranswick Grove, Hull, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson at the same court the following day.

The court heard police officers were hit by a “barrage of missiles” as they guarded a hotel housing asylum seekers on Ferensway, while shops in the city were looted and a family including two children locked themselves in a garage as a mob set fire to tyres and smashed cars nearby.

Prosecutor Jeremy Evans said the family, including a 12-year-old girl with autism and a 16-year-old boy, and their friends were “in fear for their lives” having barricaded themselves in after the mob descended at the garage on Milky Way.

He said Murray ran at a line of police officers on Jameson Street with the long metal bench before throwing it towards them.

Judge Thackray was told all three, who were “prominent” at the front of a large group, had previous convictions – with Murray having committed 37 offences, including 12 of criminal damage and 11 of theft.

Footage was played in court of all three defendants participating in the rioting.

Buckle was captured on CCTV wearing a black T-shirt and draped in an England flag, throwing missiles at officers. At times he was seen wearing a camouflage balaclava.

The court heard Glover threw missiles at officers and set alight tyres and pallets at the Milky Way garage.

Judge Thackray told him his violent disorder was racially aggravated and that Buckle’s offending was “motivated by hostility based upon race”.

“I’ve watched all of the video footage. It’s depressing and it’s horrifying to watch,” he said.

“From beginning to end, it shows utterly deplorable public disorder involving huge numbers of people, repeated racist chanting, and at some points threats to kill innocent members of the public, including children.”

The court heard Murray had “a difficult start in life” and was diagnosed with ADHD and autism.

Defending him, his barrister Hannah Turner said Murray regretted his actions and was “disgusted in himself and he feels he’s let himself and his family down”.

She said the time he spent in custody had been “a huge wake up call for him”.

Buckle’s defence barrister, Michael Forrest, said his client suffered from “PTSD-like symptoms” was “ashamed of his actions”.

Humberside Police said there had been a total of 74 arrests so far, of which 42 people had been charged.

BBC News

Pair who took part in ‘disgraceful’ disorder jailed

By
August 21, 2024
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Two men who took part in “disgraceful” disorder in Blackpool that saw a shopping centre security guard attacked and objects hurled at police have been jailed.

A group of nearly 1,000 people were involved in unrest in the seaside town on 3 August, Lancashire Police said.

Bottles and chairs were thrown and there were reports of widespread looting in Houndshill Shopping Centre.

Daniel Stewart, 28, of Ashton Road, Blackpool, and Andrew Hook, 32, of Coronation Street, Blackpool, were each sentenced to 27 months in prison at Preston Crown Court.

Police said Stewart was seen covering his face and wrapping an England flag around his shoulders before shouting and swearing at police officers and horses, and throwing a can towards them.

He also assaulted a security guard in Hounds Hill.

‘Disgraceful’

He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assault by beating.

Hook also participated in the disorder, kicking and punching a security guard in the head, police said.

He also admitted violent disorder.

Widespread disturbances broke out in towns and cities across England following the Southport knife attack that killed three young girls.

Assistant Chief Constable Karen Edwards said: “Disorder is not and will never be acceptable in any part of our county. Hook and Stewart chose to have a detrimental impact on the law-abiding citizens of our Lancashire communities.

“They were violent towards my officers, and members of the public.”

She added: “Their behaviour was disgraceful and will absolutely not be tolerated in Lancashire.”

BBC News

Judge tells man to get lawyer over riot live-stream

By
August 21, 2024
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A judge has given the number of a local law firm to a man who live-streamed himself using racist language amid a riot outside an asylum hotel and told him to get a lawyer before his sentencing.

Judge Maurice Greene warned Aaron Johnson he was “in a serious position” after the 32-year-old from Stockport pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court previously heard he had repeatedly referred to migrants in a derogatory manner during a broadcast to “millions of people” during disorder in Stockport on 5 August.

Judge Greene adjourned his sentencing to 19 September.

‘Put your case’

Johnson, of Criterion Street, Stockport, admitted the charge earlier this month.

Magistrates were told he had also been aggressive to hotel staff, exposed residents to danger while using racist language and citing the Southport knife attack.

Misinformation spread online after the deaths of three young girls at a holiday club dance class on 29 July led to riots across the UK.

At Manchester Crown Court, Judge Greene told Johnson: “I really think you ought to have a solicitor so you can put your case and what you want to say.”

He remanded him into custody ahead of sentencing.

BBC News

Apprentice jailed for targeting police during riot

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August 21, 2024
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A former apprentice electrician has been jailed following a riot in Hartlepool.

Declan Dixon, 22, from the Wigan area, was filmed hurling a missile at police lines on Wednesday 31 July.

He was in the North East due to his apprenticeship – a job he has subsequently lost.

Dixon was given an 18-month sentence at Teesside Crown Court after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine when he was arrested on 11 August in Stockton.

Unrest swept the country after false information spread about the man who fatally stabbed three young girls in Southport last month.

Judge Francis Laird KC told Dixon his behaviour on the night was “disgraceful”.

More jailed

Meanwhile, Michael Stevenson, 34, from Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to violent disorder in the town on Sunday 4 August.

He was filmed attempting to set fire to rubbish in a large wheelie bin, which was then pushed towards a line of police officers.

Stevenson was given a 26-month prison sentence by Judge Laird at Teesside Crown Court.

He will serve up to half of the sentence in custody before being released on licence.

BBC News

Father-of-three jailed for Southport police van attack

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August 21, 2024
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A father-of-three who left a police officer fearing for their life as he tried to smash a van window has been jailed for three years.

Luke Moran, from Birkdale, was one of five people sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday for their part in violent disorder in Southport.

Describing the 38-year-old’s attack with a lump of concrete, a judge said it was “as bad a case as I have seen so far”.

The latest group of defendants to appear in court over the recent disorder that swept across the country also included men accused or convicted of unrest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, south Yorkshire.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, at least 497 people have so far been charged in relation to the weeks-long unrest that broke out in England and Northern Ireland following a stabbing attack in Southport that left three young girls dead and 10 others injured, including eight children.

Liverpool Crown Court was played police body camera footage showing Moran hitting the vehicle’s window three times with the piece of concrete.

Judge Neil Flewitt said that a police officer in the vehicle “feared for his life, believing he might be pulled from the carrier and attacked”.

A statement from a police officer said the men who attacked his van were “whipped into a frenzy”.

The officer’s body cam footage captured the roofer’s face as he attacked the police van. Its driver is clearly heard saying “we’re going to have to bail” as the footage ends.

The court was told the driver then escaped out of the rear of the van, covered by other officers as he fled.

Nicholas Sinclair, 38, was also sentenced to two years and four months for his involvement in the rioting.

The manager of a scaffolding firm from Birkdale admitted throwing bricks and pleaded guilty to violent disorder as a result.

Two other men were sentenced at the same time.

Daniel Carrigan, 41, of Liverpool, admitted to throwing two items at the window of the police van. He said he was struggling with cocaine addiction and had been on the drug at the time.

He was jailed for two years and eight months.

Thomas Whitehead, 53, of Southport, who worked as a gardener, was given a year and eight months for throwing an object during the violent disorder.

The court was told he “does not know what took hold of him when he threw that one missile from the back of the group”.

All the men were told they would be made to serve at least half of their sentences.

Earlier, a 20-year-old from Banks in Southport, who admitted throwing concrete during the riots, was given a prison sentence of 18 months in a young offenders’ institution.

Jake Lowther was captured on CCTV taking part in the violent disorder and was told by the judge he would spend half of his sentence in prison and half in the community.

It was accepted in sentencing that his actions were out of character and his defence conceded their client “did something extremely foolish”.

Lowther’s parents were in the public gallery and as he was taken away. His mother tried to offer comfort by saying “love you, it’s ok”.

Rotherham

Those in court on Wednesday in relation to the unrest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham included a former soldier.

Peter Beard, 43, of Brampton Bierlow, Rotherham, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting to pushing aggressively on a line of officers.

The father-of-three, who undertook tours of duty in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, was told by Judge Jeremy Richardson KC: “Your conduct was shameful, it was disgraceful and, in many respects, astonishing.”

Passing sentence at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge heard how Beard served in the Royal Green Jackets between 1998 and 2003, and said he was surprised that he had become involved as he had been “on the receiving end” of public order incidents as a peacekeeper.

Hull

A man who charged at police officers with a metal bench is among three men who have been jailed for their part in violent unrest in Hull.

Jordan Murray, 26, of Grasby Road, Hull, admitted violent disorder and looting two shops at Hull Magistrates’ Court on 12 August. He was handed a two-year jail term on Wednesday.

David Buckle, 39, and Jermaine Glover, 23, were sentenced to three years and two years respectively for their roles.

Buckle, of Southgate Way, Hull, admitted violent disorder at Hull Magistrate’s Court on 14 August.

Glover, of Cranswick Grove, Hull, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson at the same court the following day.

BBC News

Ex-soldier among several jailed over riots in Rotherham and Southport

By
August 21, 2024
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Peter Beard, sentenced for disorder at asylum seeker hotel, is told his conduct was ‘astonishing’ given his army past

A former soldier who served in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland has been jailed for two and a half years after admitting confronting police as they tried to protect a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

Peter Beard, 43, of Brampton Bierlow, Rotherham, was filmed on police bodyworn cameras at the front of a mob outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on 4 August.

The court heard that Beard’s aggression towards officers came at a critical time in the rioting, after the hotel had been breached, attempts had been made to set fire to the building and outnumbered police were trying to disperse hundreds of people.

Sentencing Beard at Sheffield crown court, the recorder of Sheffield, Judge Richardson KC, said: “Your conduct was shameful, it was disgraceful and in many respects astonishing.

“The reason I say it was astonishing is because for many years you served in the British army and undertook several tours of duty which involved peacekeeping operation. You have been, I’m told, on the receiving end of attacks by those indulging in public disorder in war zones. You know what it is like to be under attack and yet there you were attacking a police officer who was doing his duty.”A former soldier who served in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland has been jailed for two and a half years after admitting confronting police as they tried to protect a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

Peter Beard, 43, of Brampton Bierlow, Rotherham, was filmed on police bodyworn cameras at the front of a mob outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on 4 August.

The court heard that Beard’s aggression towards officers came at a critical time in the rioting, after the hotel had been breached, attempts had been made to set fire to the building and outnumbered police were trying to disperse hundreds of people.

Sentencing Beard at Sheffield crown court, the recorder of Sheffield, Judge Richardson KC, said: “Your conduct was shameful, it was disgraceful and in many respects astonishing.

“The reason I say it was astonishing is because for many years you served in the British army and undertook several tours of duty which involved peacekeeping operation. You have been, I’m told, on the receiving end of attacks by those indulging in public disorder in war zones. You know what it is like to be under attack and yet there you were attacking a police officer who was doing his duty.”

Also at Sheffield crown court, Thomas Birley, 27, who threw a wood panel on to a fire outside the same hotel, admitted a charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

The court heard that Birley, of Swinton, Rotherham, was involved in several incidents outside the hotel, including stoking a fire in a bin that was pushed against an exit, throwing items at the police and squaring up to officers while brandishing a police baton.

Richardson told Birley that his offending was unquestionably the most serious of all that he had dealt with in the last fortnight in relation to the rioting that followed the killing of three girls in Southport last month. He said: “The sentence must be of some substance. This is a crime which carries a life sentence. I rule nothing in and rule nothing out.”

The judge said Birley would be sentenced on 6 September and remanded him into custody and ordered that a psychiatric report be prepared.

At Liverpool crown court, Jake Lowther, 20, was sentenced to 18 months in a young offender institution. Lowther, of Banks, near Southport, nodded to his parents as his mother called out “love you” from the public gallery.

The court head that Lowther was seen in video footage in a crowd in Southport, gesticulating towards officers while others threw missiles. Judge Flewitt KC said that at one point Lowther picked up two pieces of brick or stone from a broken wall and threw them towards police officers, with one piece hitting a riot shield.

Also at Liverpool crown court, Luke Moran was jailed for three years after he tried to smash a window of a police van in Southport. The court heard that Moran, 38, had lost his job with a roofing firm since his image had been published after the violence.

Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, said Moran was filmed on bodyworn camera with a large piece of concrete in his hands, smashing the driver-side window of a police van three times as an officer sat inside. In the footage, the officer could be heard telling colleagues over his radio: “I’m going to have to bail, my window’s about to go through.”

Flewitt told the court: “This is as bad a case as I have seen so far. Unsurprisingly, at that stage PC Hayes feared for his life, believing he might be pulled from the carrier and attacked.”

Daniel Carrigan, 41, of Liverpool, was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting violent disorder and criminal damage in Southport. Footage was played to the court showing him throwing items at a police van and kicking the side of the vehicle.

Charles Lander, defending, said Carrigan had taken cocaine on the day of the incident and said his addiction to the drug was “out of control”. The court heard that Carrigan had previously been convicted of a racially aggravated common assault after telling a traffic warden in 2016 that he should “return back to his own country”.

Thomas Whitehead, 53, who was part of a large group that gathered outside a mosque in Southport, was jailed for one year and eight months for violent disorder after being arrested onboard a plane.

At Liverpool crown court, Smith, prosecuting, said Whitehead’s picture was circulated and he was arrested on 13 August at Manchester airport. Whitehead, a gardener, of Southport, told police he had been to the pub when he noticed a large group gathering and went to see what was happening, and he admitted he had been involved in throwing items.

And a manager at a scaffolding firm was jailed for two years and four months after admitting being part of the violent disorder in Southport. Nicholas Sinclair, 38, of Birkdale, was seen in footage from 30 July shouting at police and throwing bricks.

The Guardian

Man threw 14 bottles at police officers then said it wasn’t him

By
August 20, 2024
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Andrew Jackson became embroiled within violent scenes in Southport following fatal stabbings


A man hurled 14 bottles at police before casually walking away from the scene, but tried to run when officers came knocking at his door two weeks later.

Andrew Jackson became embroiled within violent scenes which unfolded 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.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Tuesday, that the incident on the evening of July 30 lasted for several hours, with around 50 police officers being injured and damage caused to vehicles, residents’ property and a mosque on St Luke’s Road which was “the focus of the violence”. The 41-year-old defendant, of Ramford Street in St Helens, was one member of a crowd of around 1,000 who gathered in the area at around 8pm.

Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, described how Jackson was seen on CCTV filming the disorder before taking bottles from a wheelie bin in an alleyway and launching them towards PCs and force vehicles. He was captured on the footage throwing a total of 14 missiles over the course of several minutes before walking away from the scene.

Officers subsequently arrested him at his home address on August 12 after he had “initially tried to run”. A quantity of cannabis “consistent with personal use” was also seized from the property.

Under interview, Jackson “denied being any part of the violent disorder”. He has a total of 26 previous convictions for 51 offences dating back to 1999 and including possession of cannabis with intent to supply, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, theft, motoring matters and breaching court orders.

Julian Nutter, defending, told the court: “Of course, it is wholly reprehensible behaviour. His anger appeared to be directed at the police. The police were not shown to be injured or their equipment damaged by what he did. In real terms, while his character can hardly be described as being good, this sort of reprehensible behaviour is out of character.”

Jackson admitted violent disorder and possession of cannabis. Appearing in the dock with a shaved head and sporting a grey Berghaus t-shirt, he was jailed for 32 months.

Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: “Following the tragic events which took place in Southport on the 29th of July this year, serious disorder in the form of vandalism, intimidation and violence which was motivated by religious and racial hatred spread across Merseyside and the UK. There is an overwhelming obligation on the courts to do what they can to ensure the protection of the public.

“Consequently, those who choose to participate in disturbances of the magnitude that have occurred recently – causing injury, damage and fear to law abiding members of the community – must expect to receive severe sentences, intended both to punish them and deter others. This particular incident is made all the more serious by the fact that it took place soon after and nearby to the events of the previous day, undoubtedly adding to the distress already felt by the local community.”

Liverpool Echo

Two men who kicked and punched security guard during Blackpool riots jailed

By
August 20, 2024
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Two men have been jailed for their part in the disorder in Blackpool.

Daniel Stewart was seen covering his face and wrapping an England flag around his shoulders before abusing police on Saturday, August 3.

The 28-year-old swore and pushed officers, threw a can at a police horse and assaulted a security guard in HoundsHill Shopping Centre.

He was arrested and later charged with violent disorder and assault by beating on August 11.

Andrew Hook also participated in the disorder in the resort that day, kicking a security guard and punching them in the head.

He was arrested and later charged with violent disorder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on August 12.

Stewart, 28, of Ashton Road, Blackpool was sentenced to 27 months at Preston Crown Court.

Hook, 32, of Coronation Street, Blackpool was sentenced to 27 months at the same court.

Blackpool Gazette

Father-of-four jailed after throwing missile in ‘baying mob’ during protest

By
August 20, 2024
Uncategorized

Judge John Edwards said David Jordan was ‘front and centre’ of the protest in Tamworth.

A father-of-four has been jailed for 28 months after throwing a missile and shouting racist remarks towards a hotel housing migrants.

David Jordan, 59, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday for his behaviour during a protest outside the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Tamworth on August 4.

Jordan, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder, could be seen in video footage throwing a missile in the direction of the hotel, which he claims was an apple core, shouting “f****** paedos” towards the hotel and telling police officers to “f*** off”.

The defendant, of Tamworth Road in Tamworth, also messaged a contact on Facebook on August 5 asking them to spread the word that some migrants had been moved to a different hotel.

Prosecution barrister Fiona Cortese told the court that during a police interview, Jordan said he had not planned to attend the protest and that he was an “angry old man shouting his mouth off” and “acting like a complete twat”.

Defending Jordan, Harinderpal Singh Dhami said: “As far as the harm is concerned, I imagine the fear the people in the hotel felt, the police, and the community as a whole watching on the TV.

“He now accepts fully the way he conducted himself was far from a peaceful protest.”

Sentencing Jordan, Judge John Edwards said: “You rightly hung your head in shame as we watched the video.

“I have looked with care at the footage, you are front and centre of this baying mob for an hour-and-a-half.”

Evening Standard

Man, 29, pleads guilty to violent disorder in Aldershot

By
August 20, 2024
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Perrie Fisher was remanded into custody and is set to be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday.

A 29-year-old man has pleaded guilty to violent disorder following a protest in Aldershot.

Perrie Fisher, of Hillside Road, Farnham, entered his plea at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court following the demonstration outside Potters International Hotel on July 31.

A Hampshire police spokesman said: “Although the majority protested in a peaceful manner, Fisher’s behaviour turned violent and he threw objects at the hotel and banged on the doors.”

Fisher was remanded into custody and is set to be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday.

Assistant chief constable Tara McGovern said: “Fisher chose to act in an aggressive manner and his behaviour that day caused fear of violence to those inside the hotel and our officers.

“This result highlights that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated and it is a clear message that these actions have consequences.

“Our officers conducted a thorough investigation, and worked quickly with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure swift justice is carried out.

“This should serve as a warning to anyone else considering trying to bring mindless violence to our streets and that the minority who seek to cause disorder will face the full force of the law.”

Evening Standard