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Rotherham man arrested after posting riot photo as five jailed for violent disorder in August riots

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September 12, 2024
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Five men have received jail time for their part in the riot outside the Holiday Inn Express where one “violently” kicked a police officer.

Richard Harrison, 37, Ingsfield Lane, Rotherham was captured in several videos online taking part in the disorder.

But it was his own social media that led to his arrest after he posted a photo of him appearing to kick a police officer’s riot shield, leading to a member of the public reporting it to the investigation team.

Kurt Hooley, 34, of no fixed abode, was captured on police body cam footage at the scene of a mob who were attacking a line of officers.

He was captured violently kicking an officer, attempting to make them fall to the ground. Upon his arrest, Hooley admitted he was at the mass display of violent disorder, but later denied that it was him in the video evidence shown to him.

The two were sentenced on Tuesday (Sept 10), at Sheffield Crown Court.

Harrison was sentenced to two years and six months in prison and Hooley was sentenced to two years and eight months after he plead guilty to violent disorder at an earlier hearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 30 August 2024.

Following a comprehensive review of CCTV captured on the day of the disorder, a media appeal was launched for Tomas Arnold, 19, of Cypress Road, Barnsley.

After spotting himself in the appeal, the 19-year-old handed himself in.

During a police interview, Arnold claimed he wasn’t a “violent” person and also hit-back at the allegation that he kicked an officer on the floor by saying he actually “kicked an officer who was stood up”.

On Wednesday (Sept 11), Arnold was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to two years and two months in a young offender institution.

51-year-old Graham Harper, Harper, of Henry Street, Barnsley, also wound up with jail time after body cam footage from the riot howed Harper at the forefront of a group of people, shouting abuse and derogatory comments at officers.

He was also seen throwing bins at officers.

Harper went on to admit his involvement in the violence that day during his police interview stating his actions were ‘”1000% wrong”.

Harper was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder on August 20 at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court and was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court.

Luke Fowler, who was part of a violent mob which launched missiles at officers trying to protect the hotel staff and residents.

Online videos captured Fowler’s which led to him being identified as part of a media appeal.

When questioned about his aggressive behaviour towards the police officers, Fowler answered “no comment”.

The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on August 29 and he was sentenced to two years and eight months.

MSN

Teen jailed for role in ‘shocking’ Southport disorder

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September 12, 2024
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Louis Instone pleaded guilty to violent disorder

A 19-year-old who played a role in the violent disorder in Southport has been jailed.

Louis Instone is the latest person to be jailed following the violent disorder that broke out in the town in the aftermath of the attack on Monday, July 29, that saw three schoolgirls killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Appearing in Liverpool Crown Court today, Thursday, September 12, after pleading guilty to violent disorder, Instone, of Leyland Road, Southport, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison. He becomes the 46th person to be sentenced in relation to the disorder in Merseyside last month.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts said: “Instone has been jailed today for the role that he played in the shocking scenes we all witnessed in Southport. This latest sentencing brings the total number to 101 years for the 46 people that have been sentenced so far.

“In addition, we have made 100 arrests and charged 63, and there will be many more to come. We continue to identify more people who attended the disorder in Merseyside and we will not stop until we’ve put everyone we possibly can before the courts.”

This week DCI Roberts issue a stark warning to those involved in the disorder, saying they should “keep looking over your shoulder until we knock at your door”. He told the ECHO on Wednesday: “In terms of the incidents in Southport and one week later in Liverpool, it was shocking and disgusting. That has involved in the course of the investigation reviewing hundreds and hundreds of hours of CCTV in order to be able to identify those people who were in attendance and involved in that disorder.

“The disorder that we saw in Southport and Liverpool caused such trauma and I hope now the sentences we have seen being passed sends a message, not only to communities within Merseyside, but wider as well.”

Liverpool Echo

Violent mob screamed ‘they’re taking our jobs’ as they stormed Sainsbury’s during Piccadilly Gardens riot

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September 12, 2024
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A looter encouraged other hooligans to storm a Sainsbury’s store during the riot in Piccadilly Gardens.

A woman with a pram was among the customers left in terror as a 30-strong mob burst into the shop on Mosley Street. Kye McGlade was among them and stole two crates of beer, with some bottles smashing on the floor as he pilfered the booze, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The manager of the store heard one of the rioters shout ‘pa**’ and ‘they’re taking our jobs’. The mob were in the shop for about 30 seconds before police arrived and dispersed them.

McGlade, 24, remained involved in the disorder, kicking the door of a vape shop further down the street before returning to Piccadilly Gardens, where he threw a bottle of water towards police.

He has now been jailed for two years and eight months after admitting violent disorder, theft and criminal damage. Prosecuting, Kate Gaskell told how disorder broke out in the city centre on Saturday, August 3, after a ‘protest’ in Piccadilly Gardens. The event came in the aftermath of false information being spread online about the alleged perpetrator of the tragic events in Southport, where three children died.

Lawrence Timson, store manager of Sainsbury’s in Mosley Street, said staff were aware of the gathering and that two security guards had been employed to work that day. He said that at about 3.20pm, a mob of up to 30 people stormed the shop and began stealing items and damaging shelves and displays.

Mr Timson said he shouted to staff to tell the looters to take anything they wanted, in a bid to protect his colleagues. A woman with a pram who was in the shop was left ‘incredibly distressed’ and ‘sought safety in the kiosk area of the shop’.

n a statement, Mr Timson said: “At the time I felt threatened by the situation and worried for the four remaining customers that were in the store and clearly in distress. Throughout the incident other customers had managed to leave the store.

“I was very worried about my colleague’s safety too. we had already heard about trouble in the city centre and so we were already feeling heightened. At the time there were four members of staff and two security staff working. It was on our mind that we would need to monitor the situation throughout the day, and I changed my route to work because I knew that there would be trouble.

“I was conscious that I wanted to look after my colleagues and as to how to keep us safe.”

Ms Gaskell said CCTV footage showed McGlade ‘encourage others to enter the store’.

He stole two crates of beer from the shop. After he left he moved down Mosley Street and joined others who were kicking at the front door of a vape shop.

He later moved back to Piccadilly Gardens as a crowd had gathered, and threw a bottle of water towards officers. McGlade, who has a ‘very bad’ criminal record containing 49 previous offences, was arrested on August 9.

His barrister said the defendant’s behaviour was ‘disgraceful and shameful’. “The defendant was involved perhaps not as a leader or as an instigator, but certainly as a willing participant,” Saul Brody said. “He says that he feels he is a person who is easily led.”

Mr Brody said that McGlade was homeless at the time and was ‘effectively living’ in Piccadilly Gardens. “He simply says it was a spur of the moment thing, and he’s sorry to the people he put in fear,” the barrister continued.

The judge, the Recorder of Manchester Nicholas Dean KC told him: “You involved yourself in looting, that’s what it can be called. The CCTV images capture you entering Sainsbury’s, raiding that shop and stealing from it.”

Yahoo News

The cowards left ashamed after watching their ‘unpleasant, deplorable’ actions back

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September 12, 2024
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Andrew Phillips and David Green have both been jailed for 31 months

One wore sunglasses and held a half-drunk pint of beer in his hand as he shouted in the faces of police. He had earlier kicked a man as he was down on the ground.

The other stamped and kicked on the leg and ribcage of the same man as officers tried to protect him. Both have now been jailed for over two-and-a-half years for the ‘deplorable’ attack.

Andrew Phillips, 28, and David Green, 41, are the latest rioters to be sentenced for their part in a group attack on a lone black man in Piccadilly Gardens last month.

Disorder and chaos spread across the towns and cities in the UK following the tragic killing of three children in Southport. Misinformation spread online as to the identity of the alleged attacker, leading to a number of protests and violent disorder with missiles thrown at police and racist behaviour.

Duncan Wilcock, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court that during a protest in Manchester city centre, a man was set upon, first by ‘one or two’ men before he fell to the ground. Phillips then kicked the man as he was on the ground, Mr Wilcock said.

“Mr Green was then seen to be stamping on his leg and his ribcage,” he added.

“Two officers bravely came to the rescue of the man before other officers attended. One of the officers lay on top of the man as he was being attacked, in order to protect him.”

“Frankly, it was a cauldron of disorder,” the prosecutor added. The court heard that the black male was arrested ‘for his own protection’ then swiftly de-arrested. The two officers were also injured in the melee, it was said. Both men were identified following an appeal by Greater Manchester Police.

Green was said to have previous convictions for battery and assaulting a police officer; and Phillips had previously been handed a football banning order after getting involved in a ‘football-related’ large-scale disturbance at Great Portland Street station in London.

Representing them both, Laura Broome said both men took responsibility for the ‘utterly appalling’ incident.

“Both ask me to convey their remorse to the court,” she said. Of Green, she said he had ‘struggled with alcohol for a long period of time’ and had been drinking in the city centre at the time.

He began a conversation with a group of males who encouraged him to join them in the protest. He has little recollection of his behaviour,” Ms Broome said.

She added that he felt ‘ashamed and embarrassed’ and has since lost his job after the video was posted online.

For Phillips, she said he was also drinking at the time, and had ‘little recollection’ of the offence. “He describes the shame he feels in watching that footage,” the barrister said.

She said he has been suspended from his job, where he has worked for 11 years, and expects he will be dismissed after the sentencing hearing.

“He feels he has, in his own words, ‘thrown it down the drain,” Ms Broome said on his behalf.

“Because he is the author of his own misfortune,” the sentencing judge replied.

Jailing them both for two years and seven months, Judge Patrick Field KC said Phillips’ behaviour was ‘unpleasant, aggressive and deplorable’. And of Green, he said his actions were ‘cowardly’.

“By your actions, I have no doubt both of you encouraged others to engage in public disorder. You each caused terror and discomfort to the man of the assault and fear and distress to others present,” he added.

Both Phillips, of Ripon Crescent, Stretford, and Green, of Hamilton Street, Stalybridge, were handed criminal behaviour orders banning them from entering certain areas of Manchester city centre for three years. They both pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Shaun Holt, of Oak Road, Stockport, also pleaded guilty to violent disorder and will be sentenced on October 3.

Manchester Evening News

Man jailed for attacking PC during protest disorder

By
September 11, 2024
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A man who punched a police officer during protests in Nottingham city centre has been jailed for four months.

Stephen Wilson was among hundreds of people who gathered near the Brian Clough Statue in King Street on 3 August.

Nottinghamshire Police said when disorder broke out, Wilson struck the officer in the face with “substantial force”, leaving him with a damaged tooth, facial bruising and a cut and swollen lip.

The 35-year-old, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to assault of an emergency worker and possession of a Class B drug at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Nottinghamshire Police said the officer had volunteered to work on the day of the protests, which were among several taking place around the country following the killings of three young girls at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside.

He was attacked while attempting to assist a colleague in arresting another man.

Officers later found cannabis in Wilson’s cell following his arrest.

Ch Inp Karl Thomas said: “No emergency worker should be subjected to violence of this nature. It is not, and never will be, part of the job description.

“I’d like to thank the people who helped us to identify Wilson as the attacker following a public appeal.”
BBC News

Hackney arsonist jailed for life after baby thrown from window during blaze

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September 11, 2024
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Neighbours were forced to jump from windows to escape after the building in Hackney was set on fire

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he set fire to his Hackney flat while his neighbours were in the building – leaving one family with no choice but to throw their baby from the burning home.

Five people, including a passerby, were injured during the fire at Ian Pitkin’s ground floor flat in Newick Road at around 12.45pm on March 20.

Neighbours were forced to jump from windows to escape and one resident desperately threw their baby down to waiting relatives during the fire.

The child was miraculously not injured.

Pitkin was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of six years and 17 days at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, having previously pleaded guilty to several offences.

The 64-year-old pleaded guilty to a count of arson with intent to endanger life, four counts of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and three counts of having an offensive weapon in a public place.

He was arrested shortly after the incident while seeking medical attention for injuries that he sustained in the fire.

Officers found his car and discovered several jerry cans filled with petrol, as well as four air weapons, three knives and two hammers.

The court heard how the incident had been pre-planned and the jerry cans had been bought in the week before the fire.

Detectives believe the arson attack had been linked to a housing dispute and officers found evidence that Pitkin “expressed clear antisemitic sentiment on several occasions”.

During sentencing judge Daniel Fugallo ruled that the attack “was motivated by, and demonstrates, a hostility towards people of Jewish faith”.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, policing lead for Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “Pitkin’s actions endangered the lives of his neighbours, who were forced to flee their homes in fear for their lives.

“Several victims were forced to jump from their windows and a family even had to throw their baby down to waiting relatives below. “The damage to the building speaks for itself and it is remarkable that nobody was more seriously injured.

“However, the psychological impact was well evidenced through the victim impact statements submitted to court, with victims reporting hearing explosions as the fire took hold in the property below them.”

Evening Standard

Two fathers jailed over roles in hotel riot

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September 11, 2024
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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.

BBC News

Man who took park in disorder during riot ‘brought shame’ on his Sunderland football shirt

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September 9, 2024
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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.”

Chronicle Live

Traffic cone rioter jailed for 16 months

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September 9, 2024
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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”.

BBC News

Dad threw missiles at police so judge threw the book at him

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September 9, 2024
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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.

Liverpool Echo