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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

Two fathers jailed over roles in hotel riot

By
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