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Tag Archives: violent disorder

Pallister Park teen joined riot for ‘sheer excitement and adrenaline’ then hurled rocks at cops

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September 17, 2024
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Lennox Crockett travelled from his Pallister Park home to join the riot in Hartlepool in July



A teen who got involved in the Hartlepool riots for “the sheer excitement and adrenaline” has been sent to a Young Offenders Institution.

Lennox Crockett handed himself into police after he was caught on bodycam footage throwing rocks at a line of police, from close quarters, in the midst of the screaming and chaos of the riots on July 31. The 19-year-old was dressed all in black, with his hood up, but was captured arguing with police as they shouted at rioters to move back.

He was seen encouraging others, including children, to push at the police line. On Monday, every seat in court one at Teesside Crown Court was taken, as Crockett’s mother and extended family attended his sentencing.

The Middlesbrough court watched police bodycam footage, showing Crockett repeatedly throwing rocks at riot officers, who held up their plastic shields to protect themselves from being hit. The court heard that weeks before the riot, Crockett was arrested after police were called out to a report of a burglary.

Officers followed CCTV of a group of men running away from a house, towards a block of flats on Burwell Road, in Ormesby, Middlesbrough. They found him in a flat, with other men, sitting around a table with cannabis and cocaine on it.

Police reported nitrous oxide canisters lying around on the floor of the flat. Crockett told officers that all of the drugs were his and that he was “having a party.”

Crockett, of Denham Green, Pallister Park in Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and to the possession of class A and B and C drugs; and failing to surrender to custody – after he failed to turn up at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on September 5.

He has a previous conviction from July 15, for the possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation. In mitigation, Michele Turner said that all of her client’s offending is recent and “it is to fit in”.

The defence barrister said: “He took it on himself to protect others, who he feels he’s been befriended by” when he admitted to the drugs. Ms Turner said that Crockett was expelled from primary school at a young age and that “he has been affected by the stigma of going to special school. He left with no qualifications”.

“This is a man who has been trying to fit in since early childhood,” she said. “At primary school he felt like he never understood what was going on around him and he struggled to make friends. He learnt that if he acted the fool, he got laughs and he got recognition.”
‘Sheer excitement’

Ms Turner said that Crockett has learning difficulties and struggles to read and write; he doesn’t have a bank account; he doesn’t understand that he is entitled to benefits and that “he relies on his mum and extended family for everything”.

“He travelled to Hartlepool for the violence that was going on” Crockett’s solicitor added, “it was the sheer excitement and adrenaline – I think is the way to explain his involvement. His fight was against the police.”

Judge Francis Laird told Crockett: “I recognised your struggle with school and that you lack many of the tools necessary for an independent life. Your mother largely supports your lifestyle which unfortunately in recent times, has revolved around recreational drugs.”

The judge said that he was “encouraged” by the number of people in court and that Crockett “clearly comes from a loving and caring family.” “I will pass no separate penalty for the drugs offences and failing to surrender to custody,” the judge said, before sending Crockett to a Young Offenders’ Institution for 18-months.

Gazette Live

Man admits violent disorder and assaulting police

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September 17, 2024
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A man has admitted violent disorder and assaulting a police officer during the unrest in Stoke-on-Trent last month.

Father-of-one Tyler Marchese, 21, pleaded guilty to the offences committed when the disorder broke out in Hanley on 3 August.

During a hearing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Monday, Judge Sally Hancox said Marchese would “almost inevitably” receive a custodial sentence.

“You have taken a very sensible step to accept your involvement in the events on 3 August. Your sentence must be one that reflects your part in it,” she said.

Marchese, of Norris Road, Stoke-on-Trent, will be sentenced in the same court on 27 September.

Staffordshire Police recently said it had arrested more than 80 people and charged more than 30 following the disorder in Stoke-on-Trent on 3 August and in Tamworth on 4 August.

Riots and anti-immigration protests took place across the UK after three young girls were killed in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July.

The action was fuelled by false claims on social media that the attacker was an asylum seeker.

BBC News

Bored teen ran into smashed asylum hotel in riot

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September 17, 2024
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A teenager who ran into a hotel housing asylum seekers after large crowds smashed windows and doors during large-scale disorder has been told he will be detained for more than two years.

Ashley Lowe, 19, was among a group who attacked police outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August.

He went to the trouble “because there was nothing else to do” and it led to him kicking fence panels and entering the building, Sheffield Crown Court was told.

Lowe, of North Street, Darfield, admitted violent disorder and was told he would serve two years and two months at a youth offenders’ institution.

Family members in the public gallery cried during the hearing, where Lowe was seen to have participated in the disorder in footage played to the court.

A photo from the scene showed him near a group of people who were throwing items at officers.

Former professional boxer Luke Crowcroft was also jailed for his role in the violence.

He was filmed on CCTV rocking a police dog van, leaving the officers inside fearing it would be tipped over.

Crowcroft, 30, of Danesway, Doncaster, was arrested on the 27 August, more than three weeks after the violence.

He pleaded guilty to violent disorder at an earlier court appearance.

Character references sent to the judge outlined how he had engaged in charity work and represented his country as a boxer at a young age.

“All of his life he has been disciplined… save for that day,” his barrister said in mitigation.

“He wishes to apologise for the shame he has brought on his own family.”

He was jailed for two years and six months.

Ben Beardsley, 38, of Hall Gate, Mexborough, Doncaster, also pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder.

He wore a white Guy Fawkes mask during his part in the trouble, the court was told.

He was filmed throwing lumps of concrete towards police officers, with his defence counsel adding he was drunk during the disorder.

In court, the father-of-two was jailed for two years and eight months.

Joshua Webb, 21, of Hartington Close, Rotherham, went to the hotel “out of curiosity” before becoming embroiled in the violence, the court was told.

Video filmed by a resident showed Webb, wearing a “distinctive” Icon tracksuit throwing pieces of wood towards the police line.

He was jailed for two years and six months, with his sentence being reduced following his co-operation with police.

“You made a very poor decision to attend,” Judge Sarah Wright told him during the hearings in courtroom number seven.

‘Chill out’

A man who was charged with arson being reckless as to whether life was in danger also appeared in court.

He pleaded guilty to the offence, along with a count of violent disorder.

The arson charge related to a disused generator on the edge of the hotel car park.

Scott Greenwood, 34, of Tingle Bridge Lane, Hemingfield, started speaking with someone in the public gallery, leading to the judge telling him to be quiet.

He replied: “Alright mate, chill out.”

He claimed he “hadn’t even done owt” when questioned by the judge for speaking during the hearing.

When told to leave, he shouted to the public gallery: “See you in a bit”.

In his absence, a sentencing date was set for 16 October.

BBC News

Couple in asylum hotel riot leave jail after month

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September 17, 2024
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A couple who were part of a mob outside a hotel housing asylum seekers during the summer’s riots have been freed after serving a month in jail.

Michelle Jibson, 45, and her partner Tracy Pearson, 53, both of Kingsbridge Road, Manchester, had been in custody since they both admitted violent disorder at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 12 August.

They were part of a mob outside the Holiday Inn in Newton Heath in Manchester on 31 July.

Bottles, bricks and eggs were thrown at the hotel by the crowd outside as riot police struggled to keep order following the widespread riots in the aftermath of the deaths of three children who were stabbed in Southport.

‘Learned a particularly hard lesson’

Jibson had been shoved by a police officer trying to disperse the crowd and reacted by shoving him back.

Manchester Crown Court heard Pearson had “expressed some trenchant, distasteful views, very loudly”.

Judge Patrick Field KC said he accepted Pearson had not acted violently herself, but added: “This level of intolerance was deeply shaming to everybody involved.

“You were emboldened to do what you did.

“This case illustrates, however, how important it is to think carefully before accepting all you have read online.

“The online world, as you now know is full of traps for the unwary.”

He told Jibson she had reacted inappropriately to a police officer trying to move her on from outside the hotel.

But he said he accepted both women had not acted maliciously and in the last month, custody had meant they had been apart for the first time in their 25-year relationship.

Judge Field said: “I am of the view you both have learned a particularly hard lesson.”

He gave Pearson a six-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months.

Jibson was given an 18-month community order, with both women ordered to carry out 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

BBC News

Pro boxer jailed for part in rioting outside hotel housing asylum seekers

By
September 16, 2024
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Luke Crowcroft, 30, was part of a mob which attacked a police van during the disorder at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham on August 4.

A barrister representing a former professional boxer who was part of a mob which attacked a police van outside a hotel housing asylum seekers has told a judge it is “just bizarre” to everyone who knows him that he got involved in the violence.

Doncaster-based Luke Crowcroft, 30, was jailed for two years and six months at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday by a judge who heard how he was part of a group which tried to overturn a police van outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, Rotherham, on August 4, leaving those inside terrified.

Ed Moss, defending, told the court how Crowcroft was a successful boxer from an early age, represented his country as an amateur and later became the youngest professional.

He told the court: “This is a man who, all of his life, has been disciplined.”

Mr Moss said: “It is simply not in his nature. It is just bizarre to everyone who knows him why he was there and doing what he did.

“Out of character simply doesn’t do it justice”.

Mr Moss said Crowcroft was devoted to the 15-year-old son of his partner, who has a number of problems, and the defendant is a key part of his care.

He said: “He wishes me, on his behalf, to apologise to everybody – to the court, to the police, to his own family.”

Judge Sarah Wright was shown video footage of how the police dog van was violently rocked by a group outside the hotel.

The court was told how there was a chief inspector and a Pc inside, as well as a dog, and a statement from the junior officer outlined how he was terrified the vehicle was going to be overturned and set on fire.

The incident was part of wider rioting outside the hotel which left 64 officers, three police dogs and a horse injured.

There were 240 asylum seekers in hotel, which protesters tried to set on fire, and the court has heard how staff barricaded themselves in the kitchen with freezers, fearing they would die.

According to boxing data available on the internet, middleweight Crowcroft was nicknamed The Beast and had 14 bouts, with 11 wins.

He turned professional in 2012 and his last fight was in 2018.

Crowcroft, of Danesway, Scawthorpe, Doncaster, admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing.

The Independent

Man who kicked and punched police protecting asylum seeker hotel is jailed

By
September 13, 2024
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Christian Ivermee, from Mexborough, South Yorkshire, admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing.

A 31-year-old man who kicked and punched police during rioting outside a hotel housing asylum seekers has been jailed for two years and eight months.

Footage was shown at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday of Christian Ivermee kicking an officer who had fallen down as he and colleagues were trying to protect the Holiday Inn Express, at Manvers, on August 4.

Ivermee was also captured throwing a large piece of wood at officers with shields.

He was the latest of more than 30 people who have now been jailed following the violence involving around 400 people who targeted the hotel, which was housing 240 asylum seekers.

Some of the mob broke into the building and tried to set it on fire as 64 police officers, three police horses and a police dog were injured.

The court has also heard how hotel staff feared they were going to die as they barricaded themselves into the kitchen using freezers to block the doors.

Sentencing Ivermee on Friday, Judge Sarah Wright described how he goaded officers before throwing a large piece of wood at police and then assaulted them “more than once, including kicking and punching”.

Judge Wright said: “Your actions were particularly violent and you were enthusiastically involved in protracted threats and violence.

“The police officers behaved with immense professionalism in the face of a determined and violent mob.”

She said she had taken into account references which painted a picture of a caring man who looked after his grandmother, and who had never been in trouble with the law before, despite a difficult upbringing.

But the judge said: “The man they’ve described is unrecognisable from the footage that I have seen.”

She said: “You were part of a violent mob and you were playing your part to the full.”

Ivermee, of Chapel Street, Mexborough, South Yorkshire, admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing.

Evening Standard

Sunderland man first to be convicted of riot after disorder across the UK

By
September 13, 2024
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A Sunderland man has become the first person to be convicted of riot after the widespread disorder across UK cities last month.

Kieran Usher, 32, was the first adult in Britain to be charged with the offence, in relation to his activities during the violent protest in Sunderland on August 2.

During a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court today he has now pleaded guilty and is the first in the UK to be convicted of the offence in relation to the summer disorder.

Dozens of offenders have already been jailed for charges including violent disorder, burglary and arson.

Those convicted of the more serious offence of riot face up to ten years behind bars whereas violent disorder carries a maximum of five years.

Usher, of Bramwell Road, Sunderland, will be sentenced at a later date and was remanded in custody in the meantime.

Judge Tim Gittins said there is “an inevitability about the sentence” and told Usher the next hearing will be on September 27.

Judge Gittins told him: “I can promise you will receive substantial credit for entering a guilty plea today.”

Christopher Atkinson, Head of the Complex Casework Unit for CPS North East, said: “It is clear from the evidence in this case that Usher played an active role in the mob violence that unfolded on the streets of Sunderland.

“He was filmed working with a group of at least twenty other people to rain missiles onto attending police officers.

“The co-ordinated and unlawful violence carried out by the group in this incident, the severity of which forced police to temporarily retreat from the assault, made a charge of riot wholly appropriate in this case.

“The events of that evening also created immeasurable fear for Sunderland residents, with significant damage caused to local businesses.

“We would like to praise the response of Northumbria Police, who effectively tackled the immediate situation, while also securing key evidence to help us build robust cases against the perpetrators of this violence.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work alongside our criminal justice partners to ensure that anyone threatening the communities we serve are swiftly brought to justice for their actions.”

Sophie Allinson-Howells, defending, said Usher has a learning disability and the court will be assisted by reports before the sentence hearing.

During the disorder spread throughout the city that Friday afternoon, police officers, dogs and horses were met with serious violence and pelted with missiles.

Four officers required hospital treatment and some are still not fit to return to frontline duties.

A police hub was trashed, police vehicles were targeted and damaged, business premises were smashed and raided and shops were looted.

Prison sentences have already been handed out to protesters who admitted violent disorder.

Northumbria Police Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine said in a impact statement at previous hearings it remains unclear how much damage was caused by the rioters but the cost of repairs could run to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Ms Jardine said the violence was met with a £1million policing operation and the psychological cost to officers involved is yet to be known.

She added: “The North East is a wonderful, vibrant and safe place to live and work.

“The vast majority of our people are law abiding, proud members of the community.”

Sunderland Echo

Man ‘too drunk to remember throwing object at riot police outside hotel’

By
September 12, 2024
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A 30-year-old man who claimed he was too drunk to remember throwing an object at riot police outside a hotel housing more than 200 asylum seekers has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Charlie Eames, of High Street, Sheffield, is the latest person to be jailed for being part of the mob which besieged the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, Rotherham, on August 4.

Police body-worn camera footage was shown at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday which showed Eames at the front of the crowd with no shirt, but wearing a padded gillet and with a bottle of alcohol pushed down his waistband.

When prosecutor Neil Coxon suggested this was a bottle of beer, Eames corrected him over the prison videolink, stating it was a bottle of Stones Ginger Wine.

The footage showed Eames throwing an unknown object at the line of riot shields and then encouraging another man in a mask to throw a large piece of wood at officers.

Rebecca Tanner, defending, told the court her client was an alcoholic, had drunk a substantial amount before the incident captured on video, and could not remember throwing the object, which the court heard could have been a branch.

She said Eames, who admitted violent disorder, had seen the protest happening outside the hotel on TikTok before it turned violent and decided go along, believing it to be “peaceful”.

Ms Tanner told the court: “He readily accepts he was highly intoxicated.”

She added: “When the mood shifted, he became a willing participant.”

More than 80 people have now been charged, and more than 30 jailed, following the violence involving around 400 people who targeted the hotel, which was housing 240 asylum seekers.

Some of the mob broke into the building and tried to set it on fire as 64 police officers, three police horses and a police dog were injured.

Judge Sarah Wright also jailed 29-year-old Morgan Hardy for his role in the disorder outside the hotel.

Hardy, of Melton High Street, Rotherham, was sent to prison for three years after the judge heard how he threw fence panels, a fire extinguisher and a chair at the line of officers.

The court heard that he was part of a group shouting “we want our country back” and could be seen on footage at the front of the crowd, taunting officers with his arms outstretched.

The judge was told that, after his arrest, he asked police if the “immigrants” had all gone from the hotel.

When told that they had been moved, he said: “Good. No more women and children will be hurt.”

Ms Tanner, this time defending Hardy, said he was a hard-working family man who only went to the hotel to be nosey but ended up doing something he admitted was “deplorable”.

She said: “He has brought shame on himself and shame on his family.”

Also on Thursday, father-of-five Cameron Callear, 30, of Orchard Way, Thurnscoe, was jailed for two years and 10 months for his part in the Manvers disorder.

Footage shown in court showed Callear kicking out at police riot shields and then breaking the leg off a chair which had been brought out of the hotel.

The defendant was then seen to throw the leg at police lines as another man launched the remains of the chair at officers.

All three men admitted violent disorder at previous hearings.

MSN

Two men jailed for involvement with city disorder

By
September 12, 2024
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Two men have been jailed for their involvement in a violent city protest last month.

Lee Gilpin, 43, and Michael Tarling, 42, both of Stoke Gifford, Bristol, were sentenced to two years in prison at Bristol Crown Court earlier after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Both men were part of groups that became violent or threatening, causing fear for others’ safety during the disorder on 3 August.

The unrest occurred when hundreds of far-right protesters and a counter-protest group gathered for two demonstrations near Castle Park in Bristol on 3 August.

During the unrest the court heard Gilpin threw a concrete parasol stand at the windscreen of a police vehicle and verbally abused and assaulted members of the public and officers outside the Mercure Hotel.

He also kicked an officer’s bike, police said.

Police said Tarling threw an object at officers before kicking and punching another man on Redcliffe Way. He later threw an object into a crowd of people.

The court heard that Tarling also made racial comments and gestured towards police officers and counter protestors.

So far, 19 people have been sentenced for their involvement.

A total of 50 people have been arrested and 37 have been charged, police said.

Det Ch Insp Tom Herbert said: “Both these men played significant roles in the violent disorder we saw in Bristol that day and have rightfully been sentenced for it.

“Nineteen people have now been sentenced in court and are serving more than 35 years combined in prison.”

A total of 50 people have been arrested in connection with the disorder.

Of those, 37 have been charged.

Demonstrations took place across England after three young girls were killed in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July.

Avon and Somerset Police said it was keen to identify a number of people, external, officers want to speak to as part of their investigation.

BBC News

Man ‘too drunk’ to recall hotel riot actions jailed

By
September 12, 2024
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A man who claimed he was too drunk to remember throwing an object at riot police outside a hotel housing asylum seekers has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Charlie Eames, 30, from Sheffield, admitted a charge of violent disorder related to the targeting of the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August.

Police body-worn camera footage played at Sheffield Crown Court showed Eames throwing an unknown object at police before encouraging another man to throw a large piece of wood.

The hotel had been housing more than 200 asylum seekers at the time, with the violence involving about 400 people.

Rebecca Tanner, defending Eames, of High Street, said her client had seen videos of crowds outside the hotel on social media before it turned violent and decided to go along, believing it to be “peaceful”.

She told the court Eames had drunk a substantial amount before the incident and could not remember throwing the object.

“He readily accepts he was highly intoxicated,” she told the hearing.

“When the mood shifted, he became a willing participant.”

In the body-worn footage, Eames is seen at the front of the crowd wearing a gilet with a bottle of ginger wine pushed down his waistband.

Some of the mob broke into the hotel and tried to set it on fire, with 64 police officers, three police horses and a police dog left injured.

More than 80 people have been charged following the violence, with more than 30 jailed.

BBC News