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‘Abusive’ wind turbine worker bitten by police dog after hurling brick at officers during riot

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September 4, 2024
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John Barton, a wind turbine worker, threw a brick at police officers during the violent protest on Murray Street, in Hartlepool

An “aggressive and abusive” Teesside rioter was bitten by a police dog after he refused to move away from officers.

John Barton, who was “struggling” with his break up, met up with his pals in Hartlepool town centre for a drink on July 31. The dad then attended Murray Street with the group where hundreds had gathered for the violent protest.

The 33-year-old – who claimed he hadn’t done anything to police – had actually hurled a brick at police officers who were called in to control the growing mob. Prosecutor Rachel Masters told Teesside Crown Court that the evidence against Barton, who has a three-year-old daughter, was “overwhelming” and that he pleaded guilty to violent disorder at a previous hearing at Teesside Crown Court.

The Middlesbrough court heard that on July 31 Cleveland Police were alerted to a number of social media posts circulating online that gave details of exact addresses of asylum seekers living in the Teesside area. “Pre-organised protests” were arranged and at 6pm a group gathered at the cenotaph in Hartlepool.

It quickly gathered in size with many members carrying England flags. By 8pm it had turned violent, Ms Masters said.

Barton was one of the men involved in the 200-strong protest – he was “present and participating”. At around 9.20pm on Murray Street, police officers were pushing back the crowd.

A man was seen hurling a brick at police officers and refusing to move back – that man was later identified as Barton. One officer, who had a police dog, “stood his ground”.

Barton was then bit by the dog in the stomach area, Ms Masters told the court. The prosecutor outlined that Barton had met his friends in the pub in the town centre earlier that afternoon for a drink.

They met another friend who told them about the protests which were “something to do with the incident in Southport”. The group then left the town centre and attended Murray Street where Barton was spotted “throwing items at police”. Ms Masters stated that in a police interview Barton claimed he hadn’t done anything and had been bitten by a police dog.

Erin Kitson-Parker, mitigating, stated that Barton’s “best mitigation” was that he pleaded guilty to violent disorder and that he has “genuine remorse”. The court heard that Barton’s time in custody has been a “sobering experience” as he has never been in custody before.

Ms Kitson-Parker added that her client has three previous convictions for four offences. “It is the biggest regret of his life,” she added.

At the time of the offence, Barton had broken up with his partner and “struggled” to get over it and had recently found out that his estranged father had died. Ms Kitson-Parker told His Honour Judge Francis Laird KC that Barton has worked in factories and in quality control on wind turbines for the past decade.

Judge Laird told Barton that he chose to take part in the disorder which led to businesses and members of the public “devastated” and “outraged”. He added that Barton was “persistently aggressive and abusive”.

Barton, of of Duke Street, Hartlepool, was sentenced to 27 months in prison. He will serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.

Gazette Live

Hotel rioter jailed after ‘spreading hate’

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September 3, 2024
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A man who stormed a hotel used to house asylum seekers and was part of a crowd chanting “burn it down” has been jailed for three years.

Craden McKenzie was one of about 400 people who gathered outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August.

Sheffield Crown Court heard the 26-year-old unemployed labourer, who admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing, was a “central participant in the most serious aspects” of the rioting.

At his sentencing hearing, McKenzie, of Doncaster Road, Darfield, was told he “richly deserved” the punishment imposed.

South Yorkshire Police said 64 officers, three police horses and a police dog were injured during the rioting.

Footage played in court showed missiles being thrown at police officers and at the building, with a group of men including McKenzie seen breaking into a side exit.

McKenzie walked around the hotel lobby “almost as if [he] owned the place” while staff were in hiding, the court heard.

He was also pictured in a crowd which attacked riot police with fire extinguishers and other items outside, with the group heard chanting “burn it down”.

Stephanie Hollis, prosecuting, said McKenzie told officers he went to the hotel to “peacefully protest” and blamed the disorder on a “miscommunication between protesters and police”.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, rejected McKenzie’s explanation as “arrant nonsense”, adding: “It is clear the group of which you were a part of was desirous of provoking police officers, damaging the hotel and seeking out the occupants of hotel.

“Thereby you were spreading hate.”

Judge Richardson accepted McKenzie was not filmed throwing missiles, but said being at the front and actively encouraging others placed him in “the same league”.

He told the defendant: “You were involved as a central participant in the most serious aspects of the violent disorder which occurred on that day.”

McKenzie was also made the subject of a criminal behaviour order for 10 years.

Passing sentence, Judge Richardson said: “For a man with no previous convictions, going to prison for three years is a very serious matter.

“I’m afraid you richly deserve it.”

He continued: “Anyone who involves themselves in this form of public disorder must be punished, and punished severely.”

BBC News

Man jailed over violent protest involvement in Bristol

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September 3, 2024
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A 40-year-old man has been jailed for two years for his involvement in an anti-immigration protest in Bristol on 3 August.

Bristol Crown Court heard that Marc Donavon, from Wells, had “kicked out” at people, thrown objects at police and poured liquid on a passing cyclist.

He was also seen to have encouraged other protestors by filming them.

Donavon handed himself in and pleaded guilty to the charge of violent disorder.

Judge Michael Cullum reminded the defendant that it was his choice to attend the protest.

“The febrile atmosphere must have made it clear right from the word go that this was going to be, and was, teetering on the point of disorder,” Judge Cullum said.

“You could have gone home and been the responsible family man that you had otherwise previously been.

“This was a deliberately violent protest, and you aligned yourself to it.”

BBC News

Labourer who went inside hotel during Rotherham rioting jailed for three years

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September 3, 2024
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A judge said Craden McKenzie, 26, was a ‘central participant’ in the disorder outside the Holiday Inn Express which left 64 police officers injured.

An unemployed labourer who was one of the first to enter a hotel housing more than 200 asylum seekers during rioting in Rotherham has been jailed for three years.

Video was shown at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday of Craden McKenzie, 26, climbing into the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4, and walking around the deserted lobby area, as staff took refuge in the kitchen.

The court heard this was after a mob had smashed in windows and a fire door but before attempts were made to set fire to the building with a burning bin.

Footage was also shown of McKenzie in a crowd which was attacking a group of outnumbered riot police with fire extinguishers and other weapons outside the building amid shouts of “burn it down”.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, was also shown body-worn camera footage from officers trying to push back the rioters with McKenzie at the front, hitting their shields.

Judge Richardson said unemployed labourer McKenzie was a “central participant in the most serious aspects” of the disorder, which left 64 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured.

The judge heard how, after handing himself in, McKenzie told police he went into the hotel to see for himself the conditions in which the residents were living.

Stephanie Hollis, prosecuting, said McKenzie told the officers he went to the hotel to protest peacefully and the disorder broke out due to “miscommunication between police and the protesters”.

Although CCTV footage showed the defendant walking around an empty lobby, the judge heard how 22 staff members had taken refuge in the kitchen, terrified that, if they left, they would be attacked and, if they stayed, the hotel could be set on fire.

Judge Richardson said that for these staff and the 200 plus residents on the upper floors: “This was a truly terrifying episode”.

He said: “They had no idea how things would eventuate”.

Richard Adams, defending, said his client has no previous convictions and had effectively got involved due to peer pressure.

McKenzie, of Doncaster Road, Darfield, Barnsley, appeared by videolink from prison.

He admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing.
Evening Standard

Man jailed after climbing into hotel and hitting police shields

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September 3, 2024
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One of the first people to enter a hotel housing asylum seekers during riots in Rotherham has been jailed for three years.

Craden McKenzie, 26, was seen on video climbing into a Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on 4 August after the windows had been smashed in.

Sheffield Crown Court also saw footage showing the criminal in a crowd that was attacking a group of police outside the building.

McKenzie could be seen at the front of the crowd, hitting police shields.

Judge Richardson KC said McKenzie, from Barnsley, was a “central participant in the most serious aspects” of the disorder, which left 64 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured.

He handed himself in and told police he went into the hotel to see the conditions that the asylum seekers were living in.

BBC News

Business owner jailed for far-right violence in Bristol

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September 3, 2024
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Marc Donavon, 40, of Wells in Somerset, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday.

A man with his own removal business has been jailed for two years for his role in a far-right protest that turned violent in Bristol.

Marc Donavon, 40, of Wells in Somerset, joined an anti-immigration march on August 3, which saw beer kegs thrown at police vehicles and clashes in Castle Park in the city.

Appearing before Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Michael Cullum said there were “clear images” of Donavon taking part in the protest.

While he described Donavon’s involvement in the events as “relatively slight” he said he had surrounded himself with people throwing beer kegs at police vehicles, which he had given “encouragement by filming”.

Donavon had also “kicked out” at people, thrown objects at police officers and poured liquid over a passing cyclist.

Alec Small, defending, said the defendant had handed himself in to the police and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Passing his sentence, the judge said: “You’ve been out of trouble for about a decade, your more serious convictions approaching 15 years (old).

“You have worked hard, and I accept you have rehabilitated yourself. You are a hardworking man with a removals business, and you have a family.

“You are before the court for one offence, which is out of character to what has happened for the last decade or more.”

The judge said Donavon’s actions must be taken in the context of those he was with, which would have led people to fear for their personal safety.

“It may not have been your intention initially to attend but you chose to attend,” he said.

Daniel Lock was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court (Avon and Somerset Police)

“The febrile atmosphere must have made it clear right from the word go that this was going to be, and was, teetering on the point of disorder.

“You could have gone home and been the responsible family man that you had otherwise previously been.

“This was a deliberately violent protest, and you aligned yourself to it.”

Donavon did not take part in the violent protest at the Mercure Hotel, which houses asylum seekers.

Judge Cullum handed him a two-year prison sentence, reduced from three years due to his early guilty plea.

Daniel Lock, 31, from Kingswood, a self-employed electrician, was also sentenced to two years in prison.

The court heard that Lock had “got into a fight” outside the Mercure Hotel after someone spat at him.

Tabitha Macfarlane, defending, said Lock had been of previously good character and had never been inside a police station before.

Thomas Medler, 24, of Lockleaze, was given a 34-month sentence for violent disorder

She read out a statement submitted on behalf of Lock’s football manager who described him as “one of the most kind-hearted and reliable people that I know”, who regularly “goes out of his way to help others”.

Ms Macfarlane said it was in his words “completely stupid behaviour” and he accepted his part in the events.

Judge Cullum said: “You assisted and led in what became a violent situation, quite clearly you were intent in leading from the front row.

“That was entirely out of character, I don’t know what it was about that situation that led you to behave to those people in a way that’s very different to how you have previously acted to other people.”

A third defendant, Thomas Medler, 24, of Lockleaze, was handed a 34-month prison sentence for violent disorder and a further eight for breaching a sexual harm prevention order, giving him a 42-month sentence in total.
Evening Standard

Boy becomes first youth to get jail term for unrest

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September 3, 2024
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A 15-year-old boy is believed to have become the first youth to receive a custodial sentence for taking part in disorder that spread across the UK this summer.

He was involved in clashes with police during an anti-immigration march in the centre of Bristol on 3 August.

Bristol Youth Court heard the defendant – who cannot be identified due to his age – swore at police and threw a chair at a police vehicle.

District Justice Nicholas Wattam imposed a four-month detention and training order on the youth, who admitted violent disorder.

Addressing the court, the boy, who has no previous convictions, said: “I really regret it and wish I didn’t go that day. I am very sorry.”

The teen’s defence lawyer immediately lodged an appeal against the sentence and applied for bail, which was granted.

Stephen Sadler, prosecuting, told the court the youth was was swearing at police and joined in with chanting in Castle Park and on Bristol Bridge.

He was later filmed in the Redcliffe area, near the Mercure Hotel, which was targeted during the rally as it has been used to house migrants in recent years.

“He appears to throw a bottle towards police officers and just misses a police dog,” Mr Sadler said.

The boy was arrested after handing himself into police following the protest.

Nicola Hutchinson, defending, said the boy had gone into the city centre with a friend after watching a football match but was unaware of the planned protest.

“The bus dropped them outside Primark and they walked towards The Galleries and they saw people throwing items,” she said.

“The friend said they didn’t feel safe and they left. With hindsight he feels he should have done the same.

“It is clear to me from speaking to him that he has little understanding of where this disorder came from.

“He is embarrassed for bringing his family into disrepute and is ashamed by his actions,” she added.

‘An active participant’

District Justice Nicholas Wattam told the teenager: “There was widespread and very serious public disorder across the country and the public disorder in Bristol on August 3 was one such example, resulting from the tragic events in Southport.

“You say you were in town for other reasons that day and became swept up in it. You did not leave when it became violent.

“At that point you were an active and persistent participant and under the influence of alcohol.

“Ultimately you participated in an incident involving persistent disorder directed towards the police and public.”
BBC News

Fact check: Woman was jailed after admitting violent disorder and common assault

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September 3, 2024
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Deana Evans, 32, was ‘launching missiles and trying to push through police lines’, police said.

A popular social media post – which has been liked and shared tens of thousands of times – claimed that a woman was sentenced to 20 months in prison for shouting during recent disorder and filming a riot.

The post read: “A woman that filmed the anti-open border riots in Britain and shouted ‘we want our country back’ has been sentenced to 20 months prison. What’s going on in Soviet Britain?”

The post was also boosted by a major account on social media site X.

Evaluation

Deana Evans, 32, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on August 30, to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder and common assault of an emergency worker.
The facts

Staffordshire Police said Evans was seen on CCTV and officers’ body-worn video footage “launching missiles and trying to push through police lines” in Stoke-on-Trent.

She was also “verbally abusive to the officers,” a spokesman for the force said.

When police went to her home to arrest her, “Evans lashed out at an officer when her phone was seized, hitting him in the chest with her elbow.”

According to a news report she did shout “we want our country back” during the protests.

The person who originally posted the claim on social media included a link to this news report, but their first message on X, formerly Twitter, did not include details of all the offences for which Evans was sentenced.

Evening Standard

Man seen with ‘maniacal grin’ during Southport disorder is jailed

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September 3, 2024
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Charles Lander, defending, said Chistopher Beard has a 12-week-old daughter and is about to become a grandfather as his older child is expecting.

A father who was seen at the front of a crowd with a “maniacal grin” during disorder in Southport has been jailed for two years and eight months.

Christopher Beard was shown on footage “shouting”, “gesticulating” and throwing objects towards police officers at the front of a crowd which gathered outside a mosque in the Merseyside town on July 30, the day after three girls died in a knife attack, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

Louise McCloskey, prosecuting, said Beard, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder, was seen as police vehicles tried to move but were hit by the crowd.

She said: “The defendant is turning and laughing, with what can only be described as a maniacal grin, towards the crowd.”

He was seen piling wheelie bins on top of each other and throwing missiles towards the police, including a large piece of wood, the court heard.

Ms McCloskey said: “The defendant remains in the midst of the crowd, seemingly enjoying the chaos.”

Charles Lander, defending, said the 33-year-old has a 12-week-old daughter and is about to become a grandfather as his older child, aged 19, is expecting a baby in December.

He said Beard, of Stewart Road in Wigan, had been working in the area and had gone to “show some respect”.

He has since lost his job, the court heard.

Sentencing, Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: “It is no mitigation at all to say you, or some of you, went simply to pay your respects. That lies ill in the mouth of any of you, given your subsequent behaviour.”

He added: “There’s footage of you literally building a bonfire in the middle of the road, pulling wheelie bins on top of each other.”

Beard was sentenced alongside Lee Powell, 46, who claimed he was not politically motivated but was in the area to lay flowers and became “trapped” on the wrong side of the police line as he tried to get back to his car.

Judge Menary said he “utterly” rejected that account.

He said: “Your role was not some benign one. You abused officers at close quarters and on two occasions, for sure, you threw an item or items at officers.

“You were, in the classical sense, a member of the mob, giving out encouragement to the group.”

Powell, of Fountains Road, Liverpool, was jailed for two years and four months for violent disorder.

Adam Latty, 24, from Southport, who has been sentenced to 20 months for violent disorder in the town (Merseyside Police/PA)

The court heard Adam Latty, 24, of Radnor Drive, Southport, was identified by a distinctive tattoo on his arm, after he took his top off and tied it around the lower part of his face.

Ms McCloskey said he was seen throwing missiles, including a glass bottle, toward police.

Charles Lander, defending, said he was of previous good character and worked as a contractor in the water industry but had now lost his job.

Judge Menary said: “It is a great shame someone of your past character should find yourself in the dock of a crown court facing such a serious and utterly pointless criminal offence.”

Latty was jailed for 20 months after admitting violent disorder at an earlier hearing.

Evening Standard

Two Hartlepool rioters have been jailed for violent disorder

By
September 3, 2024
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A rioter who was bitten on the stomach by a police dog when he repeatedly threw objects at officers as he refused to move back has been jailed.

John Barton was amongst a violent group of alleged protesters who had violent clashes with officers as they battled to regain control of the streets of Hartlepool.

The 33-year-old had been drinking in town with friends before becoming embroiled in the violence which left communities in the town struggling to come to terms with what happened that night.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said Barton was seen hurling a brick at police officers and refusing to move back. One officer, who had a police dog, “stood his ground” before the dog bit the defendant in the stomach area.

Barton, of Duke Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to violent disorder following the events on July 31.

Erin Kitson-Parker, mitigating, said her client had shown genuine remorse for his behaviour and it was going to be the ‘biggest regret of his life’.

She said: “His time in custody has been a sobering experience, perhaps it should be for people involved in such horrendous violence.”

Judge Francis Laird KC sentenced the father-of-one to 27 months in prison for his role in the violent disorder.

He said: “You were observed on Murray Street, you were part of a group throwing missiles at officers and who refused to retreat when ordered to do so.

“You were observed to throw bricks at police officers and when refusing to leave, you were bitten by a police dog and arrested.”

Another Hartlepool rioter to have been jailed at Teesside Crown Court was Natalie Wood who was caught throwing a plastic bottle at police during the violent disorder.

Miss Masters said the 39-year-old was also heard shouting – ‘come on then’ towards the police on footage which was found on social media and the defendant was recognised by her probation officer.

Wood, of Richmond Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Kate Barnes, mitigating, said: “She had no knowledge or interest in the political aspects of events on July 31 and wasn’t part of the organised gathering.

“She joined those gathering and for a long time did nothing but be present then she did throw that bottle towards the police line.

“She accepts that she has done wrong.”

Judge Laird also sentenced Wood to 27 months in prison.

He said: “You were captured on film in the Murray Street area, picking something off the ground and throwing it in the direction of police officers before shouting – ‘come on then’.”

Northern Echo