Many people have been sent to prison after pleading guilty to various offences following recent disorder.
A widely shared online post claimed that “of all the people arrested during the race riots, not a single conviction was for racial abuse or a hate crime”.
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Several people who have been sentenced following the recent disorder were convicted of racially aggravated crimes or stirring up racial hatred.
The facts
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales, said David Wilkinson, 48, was convicted of “racially aggravated criminal damage”.
Police and prosecutors also said Wayne O’Rourke, 35 of Salix Approach, Lincoln, Rhys McDonald, 34, of Oxford Road, Runcorn, Tyler Kay, 26, from Northampton, and Christopher Taggart, 36, of Caesars Close, Runcorn, all pleaded guilty to publishing written material to stir up racial hatred.
Philip Hoban, 48, of Northcote Crescent, Leeds, was jailed for causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm/distress through words or behaviour in Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire Police said.
Jordan Parlour, 28, of Seacroft, Leeds, pleaded guilty to threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour intending thereby to stir up racial hatred, the CPS added.
Meanwhile, sentencing remarks by judge Guy Kearl KC, sitting at Leeds Crown Court, showed Jordan Plain, 30, of Seacroft, Leeds, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated intentional harassment.
A Leeds man who made a “grossly offensive” comment on social media about the protests taking place across the country has been jailed.
Simon Scott, of Kentmere Approach, Seacroft was sentenced to 10 weeks during a hearing at Leeds Magistrates Court.
The 49-year-old was convicted of an offence of publishing a social media post which was grossly offensive. The offending took place between July 29 and August 9.
He is the second Leeds man to be jailed for posting on social media, after a 28-year-old made comments on Facebook encouraging attacks on a hotel in Leeds where asylum seekers were known to be staying.
So far 34 arrests have been made by the force in relation to the troubles of recent weeks. Several have been jailed already for their parts in a protest in Leeds city centre on August 3 when far-right protestors clashed with anti-fascist groups.
Assistant Chief Constable Osman Khan of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Our investigations into those involved in disorder continue and we remain absolutely determined to identify and take firm action against all those who have offended.
There is absolutely no place for disorder offences or racially aggravated offending in our county and I can promise that those who seem to think that it is acceptable to behave in this way will be hunted down and locked up.
“As we have seen, the government and courts are taking a firm stance against this thuggery, as are we.
“We continue to use all the investigative tools available to us to bring those involved in the recent disorder to justice.”
Jordan Parlour admitted urging others to attack a hotel housing over 200 asylum seekers and refugees.
A Facebook user who encouraged people to attack a hotel housing asylum seekers has become the first person to be jailed for stirring up racial hatred following widespread disorder across the country.
Jordan Parlour, 28, admitted posting on the social media platform between August 1 and August 5 urging others to target the building in Leeds, which at the time was housing more than 200 asylum seekers and refugees.
The hotel manager put the building into lockdown on Saturday due to the disorder in the city, and at least one window was broken after stones were thrown over the weekend.
On Friday, Parlour, of Seacroft, Leeds, was jailed for 20 months at Leeds Crown Court.
He is one of two men who faced jail on Friday for stirring up racial hatred, as 26-year-old Tyler Kay is due to appear at Northampton Crown Court charged with publishing written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting, intending thereby to stir up racial hatred.
Kay’s online posts are also connected to the widespread disorder, and he was previously remanded in custody.
The pair are two of a handful of cases in which suspects have been charged with stirring up racial hatred since the widespread disorder began.
Elsewhere, former Labour councillor Ricky Jones, 57, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after being charged with one count of encouraging violent disorder after he was filmed addressing a crowd at a London demonstration on Wednesday evening.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “Jones was filmed addressing a crowd in Walthamstow on Wednesday August 7 during which he appeared to make remarks and a gesture to encourage others to act violently towards far-right protestors.”
In another first since the recent widespread disorder began, a man who encouraged people to start a riot on social media became the first person from Wales to be convicted.
Richard Williams, 34, of Buckley, Flintshire, posted about taking part in a riot and shared a derogatory meme about migrants in a local Facebook group dedicated to protests, Mold Magistrates’ Court heard.
Williams pleaded guilty to one count of sending menacing messages via a public communication network and will be sentenced on Friday afternoon.
Joining Parlour at Leeds Crown Court were Sameer Ali, 21, and Adnan Ghafoor, 31, who were jailed for 20 months and 18 months respectively for an attack on “pro-EDL” protesters after rival demonstrations in the city.
The court was shown CCTV footage of a group of Asian men kicking and punching a smaller group of four white men, one of whom was draped in a Union flag and wearing a Union flag mask, on Saturday.
Four people also face jail at Newcastle Crown Court following violent disorder in Sunderland.
In Southampton, Ryan Wheatley, 40, pleaded guilty to assault by beating of a police officer at a protest in the city on Wednesday.
Gareth Metcalfe, 44, admitted violent disorder in his home town of Southport on Tuesday, the day after three girls were killed in a fatal knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
At Inner London Crown Court, Ozzie Cush will be sentenced for assaulting an emergency worker in Westminster on July 30.
Teesside Crown Court will see three Middlesbrough rioters and one Darlington rioter face prison sentences and in Sheffield, Kenzie Roughley, 18, will be sentenced for violent disorder outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.
Suspected rioters will also be appearing in magistrates courts across the country, including in Liverpool, Llandudno, South Tyneside and Wirral.
At least a dozen people were jailed on Thursday for their part in the riots of the past 10 days.
The Prime Minister said swift justice, including sentencing, has been a deterrent to more violent disorder. Evening Standard
Leeds man pictured after being convicted of posting Facebook messages about attacking a hotel hosting asylum seekers
This is the Leeds thug convicted of posting messages of hate on Facebook about attacking a hotel hosting asylum seekers in the city. He is the first man to be charged over social media posts relating to the week of violent disorder – and now faces up to a year behind bars.
Jordan Parlour, 28, of Seacroft, has been convicted of using threatening words or behaviour to stir up racial hatred after the posts were reported to the police. The Britannia Hotel manager was forced to put the Leeds building into lockdown on Saturday, August 3 after disorder which saw one window broken after stones were thrown.
The court heard Parlour was a family man and was at home nursing a broken heel. There is currently no evidence that Parlour attended the hotel.
his marks the first conviction for posting online in relation to the week of rioting across the country. It comes as Yvette Cooper hit out at ‘armchair thugs’ who had been fanning the flames of tension online.
Parlour pleaded guilty at Leeds Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday) and was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, August 9.
Nick Price, Director of Legal Services at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “I want to be absolutely clear, anyone involved in inciting this thuggish behaviour will face severe consequences. Parlour advocated violence through his online posts and risked the safety of those staying at the hotel.
“The CPS will continue to act swiftly and robustly regarding these cases and ensure those responsible for such deplorable criminality are brought to justice.”
Joe MacKenzie, a 28-year-old from Darlington, dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief earlier today as he was told he would be remanded in custody for his alleged part in Sunday’s rioting in Middlesbrough.
A 28-year-old man has admitted stirring up racial hatred on social media in connection with the recent violent disorder across the UK.
Jordan Parlour, 28, of Seacroft, Leeds, made Facebook posts between 1 and 5 August with the intention of sparking tensions while demonstrations were taking place.
Appearing at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words in the posts.
Parlour, who is the first person to face prosecution for posting allegedly criminal messages linked to the violence, was remanded in custody to be sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday.
A man from Leeds has been jailed over his part in a violent rally by the English Defence League.
Gareth Wall, 25, of Moresdale Lane, Seacroft, used a metal pole to smash the window of a restaurant as thugs caused damage in the Regency Wharf area of Birmingham.
He was jailed for 20 months after judge Richard Bond told him he had shown no remorse for his “persistent” offending, which included kicking out at a police dog while goading the animal using a St George’s Cross flag.
The sentencing of eight EDL supporters for violent disorder had earlier been temporarily halted after one of them demanded to be updated on the Sydney cafe siege.
Judge Bond briefly adjourned the case after being verbally abused, urged to “pass proper sentences” on Islamic extremists, and asked: “Any news on the Australian hostages?”
After returning to court, he sentenced the men, aged 22 to 35, to sentences of between 14 months and two years.
During the EDL rally, in July last year, a Muslim prayer cap and a Pakistani flag were set on fire and police were pelted with paving slabs and bottles.
Yorkshire Evening Post
Far-Right Criminals 