Man released by police went back to join far-right mob in Castle Park

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August 20, 2024
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Bradley McCarthy was arrested for shouting vile racist abuse at counter-protesters, de-arrested and then rejoined the mob confronting police

A man has been jailed for 20 months for his part in the disorder in Castle Park in Bristol on August 3, after a judge heard he shouted racist abuse at counter-protesters and confronted police officers and a police dog.

Bradley McCarthy was ‘at the forefront’ of the disorder in Castle Park and at Bristol Bridge, and was actually arrested by police for a breach of the peace, before being de-arrested. But instead of leaving the area, he went back and joined the mob and was among the crowd of far-right protesters who clashed with police near Bristol Bridge.

The 34-year-old from Gerrard Close in Inns Court, Knowle West, told police he attended what he claimed he thought was a protest about children being stabbed, but the sentencing judge HH Lambert told him he was part of an ‘extremist anti-immigration protest’, sparked by ‘right-wing extremists and racists’, who have been ‘intent on provoking violence directed at innocent people and the police’.

McCarthy pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder and the court was shown video footage of three occasions where he was captured on film during that evening. In one clip shown to the court, he approached the police line separating the side McCarthy was on from counter protesters in Castle Park, and shouted abuse at them. He called one counter-protester a ‘P** c**’, threatened to ‘write the face off’ another, and repeatedly goaded others to cross the police lines to ‘effectively fight one on one’.

He was then arrested for a public order offence at 7.09pm – a moment captured extensively on camera by Bristol Live, but was then de-arrested. Then, by 8.09pm, he had rejoined the crowd and was part of a mob confronting police as they were being told to go over to the Redcliffe side of Bristol Bridge. He shouted at police and even barked in the face of a police dog.

An Instagram reel video was also shown to the court, which showed McCarthy clashing with counter-protesters.

Defending, Robin Rollins submitted a large number of character references in support of McCarthy, from people who said he was ‘not bigoted or prejudiced’, and was part of a charitable organisation that had donated to a Sikh community centre and temple. Judge Lambert said these references and statements were ‘impressive’.

Mr Rollins conceded McCarthy had 22 previous convictions for 43 offences dating back years, including a racially-aggravated public order offence in 2011. But he had not been convicted of any offence since 2019, after he began taking care of what is now a step-daughter and two daughters.

Mr Rollins said that a few weeks before the August 3 disturbance, he had come to the aid of a person who had tried to take their own life, and the incident had deeply affected him in a traumatic way. “He attended the event in Castle Park, he didn’t intend or want there to be violence, but he lost all sense of himself and is deeply, deeply ashamed,” he said.

Explaining why he continued to be at the forefront of the disorder, Mr Rollins said he had parked his car at the Asda in Bedminster and was trying to get back to it.

Sentencing him, His Honour Judge Julian Lambert said McCarthy had a long history of violent offences, but conceded he had not been significantly violent at all on the day on August 3.

“You have 22 court appearances for a total of 43 offences. Amongst these I saw offences against the person, weapons offences, public order offences and frequent defiance of court orders. You have been committed for sentence for an offence of violent disorder,” said

“This involves unrest that has arisen recently in many parts of the country. The unrest has been fuelled by misinformation circulating largely on social media. Right wing extremists and racists have been intent on provoking violence directed at innocent people and the police whose role it is to protect us all.

The disorder has been serious and widespread. In particular refugees and asylum seekers have been targeted, as have some of the premises where they are housed whilst being processed by the Home Office. On Saturday, August 3, 2024, you chose to attend an extremist anti-immigration protest that began in Castle Park here in Bristol. Some elements of the protest, moved across Bristol Bridge and on to the Mercure Hotel. You were last identified in the vicinity of Bristol Bridge.

“You are shown on video as part of the crowd in Castle Park. Those with whom you were standing, trying to goad the police, were verbally and physically aggressive expressing racist sentiments. The aggression was directed towards the police who were trying to control the situation.

“You were a part of that, standing within a large confrontational group who were acting in concert, but in particular you chose to direct threats towards police officers. You should never have gone there and should never have remained there. This was no peaceful protest and was never going to be so. It was a violent, ignorant defiance of the law.

“What I saw from you was not the most intense and long lasting threats or violence I have seen in such situations. It was, however, a potential catalyst for yet worse violence. As is often the case it is not the actions of one individual that represents the gravamen of the offence but rather the conduct of all concerned taken together.

“You were seen, first, at 6.50pm at Castle Park. You were highly prominent at the front of your group of protesters, confronting opposing protesters. You were very threatening throughout the time you remained at Castle Park, joining vociferously in loud crowd chanting which threatened members of the opposing protest by calling out “P*** c***s” and threatening to “write your face off”. You were repeatedly inciting opposing protesters to cross a demarcation line enforced by police.

“At around 7.09pm you were still at Castle Park, when you were identified on arrest for breach of the peace. You would have done well to have treated that as the time to leave,” he added. “You chose, however, to remain and were identified as one of the violent crowd at 2010 hours on the Redcliffe side of Bristol Bridge. You were then shouting at officers, including aggressively getting to the level of a dog and shouting in its face for some reason.

“You did all this in a tinderbox atmosphere where it only takes the actions of one person to spark very serious group violence. You should have well understood the potential incendiary effect of your actions,” Judge Lambert added. “The law respects the right of freedom of expression and peaceful protest. It cannot tolerate resort to violence and threats.”

Speaking generally about the disorder in Bristol on August 3, Judge Lambert said the effects on the community had been profound, with people scared to leave their homes.

“There has been coordinated action by extremists to cause violence and by so doing to generate fear throughout the community as a whole,” he said. “It is also a feature of this strategy that the police have been one of the targets for the verbal and physical aggression in which groups of organised agitators have engaged. Where there is widespread disorder, the actions of each participant, whatever they might be in isolation, have the potential to embolden and encourage others to behave in a similar way. The harm to the public stems from the combined effect of what is done by everyone who is present.

“The community impact evidence makes clear the degree of fear that was generated in the community in anticipation of and as a result of this protest. There was a well-founded anticipation that it could become very violent as happened elsewhere,” he said.

“One of the legitimate objectives of sentencing is to protect the public. The courts must impose severe sentences for offences involving or connected with largescale and violent public disorder. Sentences are intended to provide both punishment and individual and general deterrence,” he added.

Following his guilty plea, much of the discussion in the sentencing hearing between prosecutor Emily Evans and defending barrister Robin Rollins was around where McCarthy’s actions sat in the sentencing framework. Ms Evans said it should be positioned at the most serious end of the guidelines, given the racist abuse element to it, while Mr Rollins said that his actions were less serious, given he kept himself away from the counter-protesters and police for most of the time he was there, didn’t throw anything or use violence.

Judge Lambert said he did not need a pre-sentence report – one was requested by the defence – and agreed with Ms Evans that the actions of McCarthy were at the most serious ‘1A’ level of the sentencing guidelines.

“The offence of violent disorder has a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment,” he said. “I must follow the definitive guideline for that offence. I assess that your offending falls within category 1A of the guideline with a starting point of four years and a range of three years to four years six months.

“Most of the potential aggravating factors are the elements that contribute to this categorisation. This was a serious example of an offence coming within the range I have identified. The incident began in a busy public area and there would undoubtedly have been children in and about the park. The offending in general was sustained taking place over a long period of time. The impact on the public has been very substantial with fear engendered in the community and businesses adversely affected. In addition there is the factor of your previous convictions. The offence was aggravated by a racial element and sentence was increased as a consequence.

“There is no pre-sentence report and in my assessment none is required,” the judge added. “Custody is the only appropriate disposal and your advocate has been able to provide the court with all the relevant information about you. There is limited mitigation as identified in the guideline. You have a number of supportive references which show this behaviour to be character for you.

“Your individual role was limited to lower level involvement which reduces sentence considerably and places it at the lower reaches of a category 1A case. On a trial I would have imposed three years imprisonment, one third credit for plea gives two years, further reduction for your partial admissions in interview and having handed yourself in yields 20 months imprisonment. This will not be suspended since the paramount consideration within the imposition guideline is that only an immediate custodial sentence provides appropriate punishment.

“You will serve up to half in custody. As and when you are released you will be on licence for the balance of that term and liable to recall. In the circumstances the only financial order that it is appropriate to make is by way of recording the surcharge that applies,” he added.

As he was led down, McCarthy shrugged to his family in the public gallery and said: “I’ll see you in 10 months then.”

Bristol Post

Boy, 16, sentenced after asylum seeker hotel riot

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August 20, 2024
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A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced for his role in riots outside a Rotherham hotel earlier this month.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder at a youth court in Sheffield on 8 August.

He was said to have been filmed on body-worn video cameras throwing bottles towards police officers and their dogs as they protected a Holiday Inn Express in Manvers that housed asylum seekers.

Appearing at Barnsley Youth Court on Tuesday, he was handed a 12-month youth referral order.

Due to the guilty plea, he was referred to a youth offender panel as part of his sentence.

The 12-month contract requires him to agree rehabilitative and restorative elements, external within the sentence, which will be completed in the community.

BBC News

Factory worker jailed for role in riot at Rotherham asylum seeker hotel

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August 20, 2024
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Lee Crisp given sentence of more than three years for ‘high octane’ abuse of police and egging on crowd

A man who shouted abuse at police guarding a hotel housing asylum seekers and celebrated as missiles were thrown at officers has been jailed for three years and four months, as more people were sentenced for their part in the riots on Tuesday.

Sheffield crown court heard that Lee Crisp, 42, of Mount Road, Barnsley, was part of a group that gathered outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said the “high octane” abuse dished out by the factory worker encouraged the crowd, adding: “You were leading the way in all of this, in four separate incidents.”

Several other people alleged to have been involved have been remanded in custody charged with offences linked to the disorder.

Jake Turton, 38, is due to face trial in December. Turton, of Darfield, Barnsley, is accused of driving a pickup truck to rioting outside the hotel.

He is alleged to have driven the Ford Ranger truck to the Holiday Inn Express on 4 August, from which protesters took wood and other debris to use as weapons against the police.

Turton did not enter a plea to the charges of violent disorder, taking a vehicle without consent and having no insurance.

He was remanded in custody and a trial date was set for 16 December.

In Staffordshire, David Jordan was jailed for 28 months after being captured on video outside the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth throwing something – which he claims was an apple core – in the direction of the hotel as he shouted expletives and racist slurs.

The father of four, of Tamworth Road, Tamworth, also messaged a contact on Facebook on 5 August asking them to spread the word that some asylum seekers had been moved to a different hotel.

Jordan pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Stafford crown court. Sentencing him, 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.”

At Bristol crown court, Craig Timbrell, 38, who took part in violent clashes with the police, was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Timbrell threw concrete blocks, bricks and bottles at police near the Mercure hotel, used to house asylum seekers, in the Redcliffe area of the city on 3 August.

Méabh McGee, prosecuting, said: “The situation escalated to the point where there was significant disorder and violence used towards officers, property and opposing groups.”

Also in Bristol, Bradley McCarthy, 34, was jailed for 20 months after being caught on video “threatening” opponents and shouting at the police, including at a police dog.

In London, Alfie Arrowsmith, 28, who yelled “Come on” and “Let’s have it” at police during unrest in Whitehall on 31 July, was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment.

The roofer, who had been working as a traffic manager at the Ritz Hotel on the day of the protest, had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of violent disorder.

He wept in the dock as the footage of him repeatedly confronting police was played to Inner London crown court.

Bradley Halton, 28, of Hounslow, west London, was also sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

The tree surgeon was filmed chanting “Who the fuck is Allah” and shouting racist remarks at police officers. Judge Vanessa Baraitser described the defendant’s comments as “racist” and “profoundly offensive”.

She told him: “Those who engage in such violence can expect to receive serious sentences to punish and deter people from taking part in similar behaviour.”

In Northern Ireland, Lennon Ashwood, 22, of Tavanagh Street, Belfast, was charged with 28 offences including riot, arson and assaulting a police officer.

Ashwood has been charged with four counts of riot on four occasions: 15 and 16 July, as well as 3 and 5 August.

Other charges include two counts of throwing petrol bombs, one charge of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury, another for the attempted grievous bodily harm of a PSNI constable, and several counts of arson.

Disorder flared in the Sandy Row area of Belfast on 3 August, when businesses owned by members of ethnic minority communities were set alight and cars were set on fire.

Ashwood was remanded in custody and is next due to appear in court on 17 September.

The Guardian

Ex-soldier jailed for throwing stones at police

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August 20, 2024
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An ex-soldier who threw stones at police during disorder in Hartlepool was identified by his name written on his T-shirt, a court has heard.

Qualified tank driver Joel Bishop, who served with the Royal Logistic Corps, admitted a charge of violent disorder and two counts of possessing offensive weapons.

Video footage showed the father-of-two joining in attacks on police officers in riot gear in the town, as he threw stones and a plank, while using offensive language.

Judge Francis Laird KC, at Teesside Crown Court, sentenced the 27-year-old to 18 months in prison, having accepted his genuine remorse and that the “family man” had an “exemplary” Army record.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said a large protest group had gathered by the Cenotaph in Hartlepool on July 31 and by 19:30 BST it had turned violent.

She said Bishop was identified from footage afterwards because he had his name on the back of his green T-shirt, as well as a distinctive tattoo.

‘Mob mentality’

Bishop has no previous convictions and his defence, Rob Hunt, said his actions were “so out of character that one struggles to find any rational explanation”.

He added: “He was not wearing any disguise – he actually had a shirt with his name on it.”

Bishop had no animosity towards the police and even considered joining their ranks after he left the Army, Mr Hunt added.

“It just seems he succumbed to the mob mentality, it’s something he bitterly regrets.”

Passing sentence, Judge Laird said Bishop’s behaviour that night was “disgraceful”.

Meanwhile, a woman, 31, also appeared in court charged with violent disorder relating to the Hartlepool riots.

She also faced a criminal damage charge.

No plea was entered and the woman was remanded in custody ahead of her next appearance at Teesside Crown Court on 29 August.

BBC News

Man who threw bricks at police during riot jailed

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August 20, 2024
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A mechanical engineer who threw bricks at police when unrest broke out outside a hotel for asylum seekers has been jailed.

Dane Freeman, 25, of Timson Street, Failsworth, admitted violent disorder during the incident in Newton Heath, Manchester, on 31 July.

Freeman was captured on video, among a mob, throwing and smashing bricks against a wall, then launching broken shards at police lines surrounding the hotel.

Despite wearing a face mask, Freeman was later identified by a distinctive “sleeve” tattoo on his arm, Manchester Crown Court heard.

He was sentenced to 26 months in jail.

The clash was part of a nationwide outbreak of unrest sparked by misinformation spread online following a knife attack in Southport on 29 July, which left three children dead.

Dan Gaskell, defending Freeman, said his only previous conviction was for a motoring matter. He added that Freeman had subsequently lost his job, but remained responsible for providing “significant” healthcare to his mother.

On the day of the incident, Mr Gaskell continued, Freeman had finished work and gone to the gym. He was not motivated by racial hatred or social media, his lawyer stated, and only went to the hotel after receiving a text from a friend who was already there.

Sentencing him, Judge Patrick Field KC, said: “This is, sadly, yet another example of a young man that has very little acquaintance with the criminal courts becoming involved in unacceptable public violence without any explanation at all.

“This sort of behaviour will not, and cannot, be tolerated.

“Severe sentences are likely not just to punish you, but also to deter others who might think they want to launch bricks at police officers because they are angry about something.”

BBC News

Smiling thug hurled missile at police but didn’t realise he knew officer

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August 20, 2024
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Another rioter gave a thumbs up to a judge today as he was jailed over the violent scenes in Southport

A rioter “smiled in satisfaction” after hurling a missile at police, but was recognised by an officer he went to school with.

Paul Dryhurst, Luke Summerfield and David Engleby all launched objects towards PCs as violent scenes unfolded in Southport following the fatal stabbings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, with the latter giving a thumbs up to a judge as he was jailed.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, August 19, that evening prayers were in progress at Southport Islamic Society Mosque on St Luke’s Road when worshippers were “made aware of a significant number of white males gathering outside”. Members of the crowd began shouting vile chants and throwing objects towards the building and police officers at the scene, more than 50 of who were injured during the incident.

Simon Leong, prosecuting, described how Engleby was seen filming the violence on his mobile phone and chanting “Allah, Allah, who the f*** is Allah?”. The 29-year-old, of Scarisbrick New Road in Southport, then “surged forward with the crowd” before picking a brick up from the floor and throwing it towards PCs.

He subsequently followed this up with a second “projectile”. Engleby was identified from video footage provided to the police and handed himself in at Southport Police Station on August 12, having been circulated as wanted.

His criminal record shows two previous convictions from 2013 concerning the theft of bicycles and going equipped for theft. Olivia Beesley, defending, told the court: “He is lightly convicted. There has been a gap in offending since the last conviction, when he was 18 years old. This is his first experience of custody. He understands that it will not be a short experience of custody.

“He tells me that he was on good terms with his family, who he was estranged from for a matter of years. However, this incident has led to them cutting him off. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was sectioned when he was 13 years old. He was in respite foster care from when he was eight years old, and this progressed to full time care when he was 15.

“He secured accommodation for himself and rebuilt the relationship with his family. He worked hard to build that relationship and is sad to now have lost it due to his actions.

“He understands that he has ruined that in a matter of hours and says he deserves it. He wants me to convey his remorse to the court. Quite frankly, he sees his behaviour as disgusting.”

Dryhurst, of Gale Road in Litherland, was meanwhile brought to justice after a “police constable recognised him as someone with whom he went to school”. He was also identified in footage as he was “slightly shorter than most of the people there” and due to his “distinctive” green hooded top.

This film showed the 33-year-old “throwing an object” at two officers and recording the scenes with his phone, as well as “surging forward with the rest of the crowd” and then standing on the wall of a resident’s front garden. Dryhurst surrendered himself at Marsh Lane Police Station on August 11 and “claimed he had gone to Southport to attend the vigil, but somehow found himself caught up in the wrong group” and was “trapped and scared”.

He has previous convictions for possession of cannabis in 2000 and assault in 2012. His counsel Desmond Lennon said: “He has not been in a position like this ever before in his life.

“He blames nobody but himself for his behaviour. He is only sorry and ashamed for that behaviour. His last conviction was in 2012. Since then, he has led a blameless and industrious life.

“He worked hard as a self employed joiner. He is held in his regard by those who he has had professional dealings with. He employs two people frequently and another two who work on and off with him. His own behaviour has effectively led to unemployment for four people who relied on him.

“He bitterly regrets his behaviour. He really is sorry for what he has done. He has no right wing affiliation or political interest whatsoever. He has no religious bias or adverse views about other religions.

“He did not organise this and he did not instigate this. He has gone along to go to the vigil, but saw this event unfolding and got swept up in this activity and acted in a shameful and reprehensible way.

“His mother is devastated over the fact that he is in this position. His mother and father work for the ambulance service and are at a complete loss after someone they believed had overcome earlier problems and built up a business and been in a stable relationship for almost 15 years with plans to acquire their own home. They have all been destroyed by his own stupidity.”

Liverpool Echo

Man claims he went on a charity walk but ‘things got out of hand’

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August 20, 2024
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The judges pointed out Joshua Jones is a ‘football hooligan’ and struggled to take his excuse seriously

A “football hooligan” claims to have attended a three-mile charity walk in memory of the victims of the Southport stabbings before “things got out of hand”.

Joshua Jones repeatedly hurled missiles towards police officers as violent scenes unfolded in the seaside town following the killings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice DaSilva Aguiar, nine.

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”. Jones, 31, of St Marks Road in Chester, was captured on video footage with his face covered by a scarf as he threw a series of objects towards police.

Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, described how Jones also “moved forward with the surging crowd” and filmed the events on his mobile phone, having been “present from the start” and thereafter “front and centre”. Merseyside Police subsequently seized two samurai swords from his home when they attended in order to arrest him on the afternoon of August 12.

Under interview, he “stated that he went to Southport to attend the vigil” and “referenced taking part in a three-mile charity walk to support the murdered children”. Jones declined to watch any of the CCTV and said he “couldn’t remember anything” due to his undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD and autism.

However, he “acknowledged that things got out of hand”. Of the weapons discovered in his property, he added that the items had “been in the family for years” and said they “never left the house”.

Jones has a total of 15 previous convictions for 26 offences including inflicting grievous bodily harm, entering the playing area at a football match, breaching a football banning order, possession of a banned fighting dog, theft and criminal damage. Judge Neil Flewitt KC compared his record to that of a “football hooligan who appears to enjoy disorder in large groups”.

He was also handed a 26-week imprisonment suspended for 18 months by magistrates in March this year for assaulting an emergency services worker after pushing a police officer “with force” and “pushing his thumb into a constable’s eye” during a domestic altercation. Charles Lander, defending, told the court: “He is totally ashamed of his actions.

“He could not bear to watch the video. He is embarrassed, particularly at how he has let down the families of the deceased and injured children, the wider community and also his own family.

“His partner has stood by him and is particularly tearful in court today. Once again, he is going to be apart from her for his own stupid actions. He maintains that he went there for lawful reasons but stupidly got involved.”

The judge said of this: “I have enormous difficultly accepting that from a man who is prone to violence and hooliganism. There is a very strong inference here that he went to Southport to join in the disorder.”

Mr Lander continued: “My instructions are that he did not. The three-mile walk was his intention. Ultimately, I do not seek to minimise his behaviour. The camera speaks for itself.

“Clearly, the defendant has suffered significant tragedy in the last few years. His brother died tragically from carbon monoxide poisoning, his father also died as a result of an unfortunate incident and his mother passed away last year.”

Jones, who previously worked as the manager of a gym in Spain, admitted violent disorder, possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and breaching a suspended sentence order. His partner sat in tears in the public gallery as he was jailed for 38 months.

Sentencing, Judge Flewitt 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.

“Given your previous convictions, in particular your history of football hooliganism, I view with some scepticism the suggestion that you travelled to Southport to take part in a vigil. The fact that you so willingly again took part in violence towards the police causes me to doubt your expressions of remorse.”

Liverpool Echo

Man jailed for shouting at police dog and using racist slurs

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August 20, 2024
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A father of three who shouted at a police dog and used racist slurs has been jailed for 20 months for violent disorder.

Bradley McCarthy was sentenced on Tuesday after he was caught on video “threatening” left-wing protesters at an anti-immigration rally in Bristol.

Separately, more people were jailed for their role in riots targeting a hotel housing asylum seekers, which was set alight and police hit by bricks and bottles.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says 494 people have so far been charged in relation to the weeks-long unrest that broke out in England and Northern Ireland after a fatal stabbing attack in Southport in which three young girls died.

McCarthy, 34, had joined an anti-immigration march in Bristol which clashed with counter-protesters and police in Castle Park and on Bristol Bridge on 3 August.

Bristol Crown Court heard he played a “prominent” role in trying to goad police, and had “aggressively” shouted at a police dog.

“You did all this in a tinderbox atmosphere where it only takes the actions of one person to spark very serious group violence,” Judge Julian Lambert said.

McCarthy admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing. He has convictions for violence, weapons offences and public order.

Others were jailed for their actions during a riot that broke out outside a Rotherham hotel housing asylum seekers on 4 August.

Apprentice bricklayer Alfie Conway, 19, from Pontefract, was jailed for two years and three months at Sheffield Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to violent disorder after throwing missiles at police who were protecting the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers.

Lee Crisp, 42, was jailed for “actively encouraging” people who had gathered outside the hotel.

The factory worker told officers they should be “ashamed of themselves,” shouted “let’s go toe to toe” and made racist comments.

He was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment and made subject of a criminal behaviour order for 10 years.

Crisp had previously claimed he accidentally got caught up in the riot when taking his mother for Sunday lunch.

Craig Timbrell, 38, of Hartcliffe, appeared at Bristol Crown Court, charged with violent disorder over his “prominent role” in the unrest.

He pleaded guilty to violent disorder after throwing concrete blocks, bricks and bottles at police near the hotel.

Emily Evans, defending, said Timbrell, of Hartcliffe, had been planning on attending a ticketed social event in the city centre with friends, but had been unable to gain entry and “couldn’t really explain” why he threw missiles at the police.

But Judge Lambert said the violence he had shown was “intense and shocking” and sentenced him to two years and six months in prison.

Liam Gray, 20, from Mexborough in Doncaster, was filmed aggressively pushing against a line of officers who were trying to disperse the 400-strong crowd at the Holiday Inn Express, in Rotherham.

He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was sentenced to three years in a young offender institution and made the subject of a criminal behaviour order for 10 years.

Ed Moss, defending, said his client’s family had been shocked when they learned of his involvement in the riot, adding: “Despite what it appears to everybody else, [they say] there isn’t a racist bone in his body.”

Meanwhile, roofer Alfie Arrowsmith, 28, was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment for his role in unrest on Whitehall, central London, on 31 July.

He pleaded guilty to one charge of violent disorder after being filmed repeatedly confronting police and shouting “come on then” and “let’s have it”.

Some 494 people have been charged with offences related to the recent public disorder as of Tuesday, the CPS said.

As more people continue to be sentenced, concerns remain about the shortage of prison places available.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens spoke to the BBC about Operation Early Dawn, which allows people to be held in police cells until prison space is freed up.

She said the measure would be “used for a matter of days or at the most months” because male prisons in some places were 99% full.

Asked about the maximum amount of time someone would be held in a police cell, Stevens said: “We would anticipate that this should be no longer than a day after being charged. That’s the basis on which we are working.”

On Tuesday, King Charles travelled to Southport to meet survivors of the Southport knife attack.

He visited the town hall where tributes had been left outside in memory of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who were murdered in the attack.

The children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class when the alleged attacker entered the building and stabbed them.

Axel Rudakubana, who was aged 17 at the time, has been charged with murder and attempted murder. A motive for the attack has not been given, but it is not being treated as terror-related, police have said.

BBC News

Yob holding England flag launched missile at cops keeping rival groups apart during Bolton riot violence

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August 20, 2024
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Nigel Simpson, 57, hurled the item at officers as trouble flared in the town centre earlier this month

A yob who launched a missile at police trying to keep rival groups apart during the riot in Bolton has been warned to expect a lengthy prison term.

Nigel Simpson, 57, hurled the item at officers as trouble flared in the town centre earlier this month. A “substantial group of protesters attended Bolton town centre” as “widespread organised disorder was taking place across the UK” Nicola Dunkerley, prosecuting said.

She said that during the day “two sets of demonstrators, around 250 in each” gathered and had to be kpet apart by officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) who “formed a human barrier.”

Both groups were throwing missiles towards police, she continued. Then at around 2pm, near the Dragonfly pub on Bradshawgate, Simpson was seen to “pick an item off the floor and throw it towards the line of officers.” The item was not identified in court.

He “walked away with an England flag in his hand” afterwards, Ms Dunkerley added.

Simpson, of Deerfold, Chorley, pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Manchester Magistrates Court heard he has 10 previous convictions for 13 offences, including being drunk and disorderly for which he was given a conditional discharge in April this year.

He was “on his own” and “wasn’t aware” the demonstration was taking place but had “followed the crowd and got involved” Zahir Iqbal, defending Simpson, said.

He said Simpson was “hit by something” which struck him on the head and left him feeling “a bit dazed.” He had then “lost his temper, picked something up from the floor and has flung it away” he added.

“He realises after seeing the CCTV it was towards the officers” Mr Iqbal said. “But he wasn’t at all trying to hurt the officers or anyone else.”

He said Simpson was a recovering alcoholic and that he was concerned if he was remanded into custody he could lose his home, be “back on the street” and “slip back into his issues with alcohol.”

However, District Judge Jane Hamilton warned him to expect a lengthy jail term as she said said her sentencing powers were insufficient and sent him to the crown court to be sentenced.

“You have seen the sorts of sentences that are being passed for people who have involved themselves in this large scale disorder, or riots as they are being called.

“I would expect you will receive a sentence somewhere in the region of two years for this offence, particularly given as you have been in trouble earlier on this year.”

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Rioter who ‘waved penis’ at police officers jailed

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August 19, 2024
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A man who exposed his penis to a line of police officers during mob violence has been jailed.

Thomas Ward, 35, was also seen in social media footage throwing a plank of wood at police during unrest in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens on 3 August.

The father-of-five had deliberately targeted female officers when he “waved his penis”, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The clash was part of a nationwide outbreak of unrest sparked by misinformation spread online after a stabbing attack in Southport which left three children dead on 29 July.

‘Ridiculous behaviour’

Ward was jailed for two years and eight months.

Earlier, in the same court, a man who had never been in trouble with the police before was jailed for 20 months for violent disorder.

Judge Field said he had been handed a “legion of testimonials” praising Graham Brookes.

The 42-year-old had been caught on camera hurling a pint of cider at police officers and later kicking out at one during the Piccadilly Gardens disorder.

Tim Storey, KC, defending, said his client’s life was “characterised by stability” and described his as “community-minded” and “not a racist man”.

Judge Field said there was “no reasonable answer” as to how Brookes had become involved in “this sort of nasty, brutish public violence”.

A man who threw an e-cigarette at a hotel for asylum seekers was jailed for two years and two months

Lynden Parker, 26, pleaded guilty to violent disorder during a riot outside the hotel in Newton Heath on 31 July.

Bricks and glass bottles were thrown as a mob of people surrounded and attacked a passing bus.

Judge Field said Parker was “encouraging and spurring on others” by throwing the missile while “part of a mob”.

‘Severe consquences’

The judge said Parker appeared to have been motivated by “deeply unpleasant, ignorant and possibly extremist racist views”.

“People like you who involve themselves and participate in such violence, bringing terror and disorder into this city, must expect severe consequences by way of severe custodial sentences,” he added.

Judge Field also dealt with a young mother who was told she would be sentenced on 23 September for throwing water from a bottle towards police during the Newton Heath riot.

Nevey Smith, 21, of West Street, Oldham, who earlier pleaded guilty, was seen in footage throwing the liquid while pushing a child in a pushchair during the disorder.

Judge Field released her on bail but told her she could still possibly face jail.

Separately, a man from Greater Manchester who threw missiles at police outside a mosque in Southport has been jailed.

Luke Summerfield, 33, of Mansfield Street in Ashton-under-Lyne, was sentenced to two years and two months.

Ward, of Colliery Street in Manchester, appeared via videolink from HMP Birmingham after previously pleading guilty to violent disorder and exposure.

Verity Quaite, defending, told the court Ward had been “lashing out” on the day after being told his father was terminally ill.

Ward could be seen making the sign of the cross as Ms Quaite described how he was “unlikely to see his father again”.

The court heard he had 123 offences on his record.

Judge Patrick Field, KC, said it was fortunate no-one had been hurt when Ward “launched” the plank of wood.

“Furthermore you decided it was appropriate to expose your penis to the line of police officers,” he added.

“You waved it about, clearly intending to cause alarm, distress and disgust.

“It perhaps aptly demonstrates how ridiculous your behaviour was on this occasion.”
A line of police officers with riot helmets face a group of anti-immigration rioters in Manchester

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