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Liverpool rioter has hotel disorder charge dropped

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November 14, 2024
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A man charged in connection with disorder in both Liverpool and Rotherham has had the South Yorkshire element of the case against him dropped.

Christopher Clayton admitted taking part in rioting in Liverpool on 3 August but denied charges relating to the violence which broke out at a Holiday Inn Express in Manvers the following day.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told Sheffield Crown Court as the 66-year-old was facing sentence for more serious matters in Liverpool, it would not be pursuing the other charges.

Clayton, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, will be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on a date to be confirmed.

Neil Coxon, prosecuting, said Clayton had filmed himself making disparaging remarks about police officers outside the hotel in South Yorkshire, but appeared to have left the scene before the situation erupted into major mob violence.

He said the CPS had “reviewed the situation” and decided to “offer no evidence” for the Rotherham charges of violent disorder and a racially aggravated public order offence.

Dozens of men have now been sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court following the hotel riot, which saw the building, housing more than 200 asylum seekers, besieged by people trying to set it on fire.

More than 50 police officers were injured, as well as police horses and dogs, and the asylum seekers and staff trapped in the hotel feared they would be burnt alive, a previous sentencing heard.

In Merseyside the total arrests made in relation to the riots so far stands at 136, with 94 people charged and 73 sentenced to a total of 156 years and six months in prison.

BBC News

Fathers who took sons to asylum hotel riot jailed

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September 19, 2024
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Two fathers who took their sons to a riot at a hotel housing asylum seekers are the latest to be jailed in connection to the disorder.

Stephen Roughley, 44, took his teenage son Kenzie to the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August, where police officers were attacked and the hotel left extensively damaged.

Mason Reddy, 24, was seen pushing a pram and carrying a boy aged around two years old in his arms while he shouted a racial slur, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Both admitted violent disorder, with Roughley jailed for two years and eight months and Reddy jailed for three years.

Roughley, of South Elmsall, Wakefield, was filmed throwing items at a police van and starting chants alongside his son, who was the first person to be jailed following the disorder.

In August, Kenzie Roughley was jailed for two years and four months after he abused officers and rocked a police van.

During Kenzie’s sentencing, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said the teenager had had a “deplorable upbringing”, with his father absent from the public gallery.

“I expect if the father attended [court] he’d be arrested,” Judge Richardson remarked at the time.

Body-worn video showed Roughley, who admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing, pushing past his son to verbally abuse officers.

His barrister said his client was “thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed” of his behaviour.

Reddy, who was dressed in “distinctive clothing” and wearing odd shoes, also took his son to the hotel disorder, the court heard.

He went on to throw bricks and rocks at the hotel and cheered when rioters lit a fire, the sentencing heard.

In mitigation, the court heard Reddy, of Victoria Street, Goldthorpe, Barnsley, had taken his son with him as he had intended to protest peacefully.

Also sentenced at the court was Daniel Dicks, who was pictured on the day wearing a camouflage coat and mask.

The hearing heard he told officers they were “protecting” those inside the hotel, adding, “we want them”, the court heard.

A shopping trolley was kicked towards a police van by Dicks, 33, who was then hit by the baton of a police officer.

He wrote a letter to the judge expressing remorse and pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Dicks, of Probert Avenue, Goldthorpe, was jailed for two years and eight months.

Regan Urruty Dever, 22, of Ouse Terrace, Doncaster, had “limited involvement” and attended the hotel for about 20 minutes, the court heard.

He was said to have grabbed the riot shields of officers and later expressed remorse for his actions.

Dever pleaded guilty to violent disorder at an earlier magistrates’ court hearing and was jailed for two years.

BBC News

Men in court over roles in violent disorder

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August 9, 2024
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Two men have appeared in court for their roles in recent violent disorder.

Philip Hoban, 48, was convicted at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after being charged with causing racially, religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress through words at disorder at Victoria Square in Leeds on 3 August.

Hoban, of Northcote Crescent, Leeds, will be sentenced at the city’s crown court on 15 August.

Meanwhile, Christopher Clayton, 66, also appeared before magistrates charged with two counts of violent disorder in Rotherham and Merseyside.

Mr Clayton, of Station Cottages, Wakefield, was also charged with seven offences of possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and possession of an article of police uniform.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Leeds Crown Court on 15 August.

West Yorkshire Police said it had made a total 20 arrests related to the disorder since 3 August.

The force said it would “use the investigative tools available to us to bring those involved in the recent disorder to justice”.

BBC News

Two more men appear before court after continuing investigation into violent disorder in West Yorkshire

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August 8, 2024
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Two men appeared in court in Leeds today after being charged as part of a continuing investigation into recent disorder in West Yorkshire.

Philip Hoban, 48, of Northcote Crescent in Leeds was convicted at Leeds Magistrates Court on Thursday (August 8), after being charged with causing racially and religiously aggravated harassment as well as alarm and distress through words.

Christopher Clayton, 66, of Station Cottages in Wakefield also appeared before court on Thursday charged with one offence of violent disorder in Rotherham and one offence of violent disorder in Merseyside.

He was also charged with seven offences of possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and possession of an article of police uniform.

The 66-year-old was remanded in custody and he, along with Hoban, will appear before Leeds Crown Court for sentencing on August 15.

West Yorkshire Police said it has made a total of 20 arrests since August 3, and that it will use “all the investigative tools available” to bring those involved in recent disorder to justice.

On Wednesday (August 7), five men aged between 16 and 31 were charged with offences including racially aggravated harassment, affray and intent to stir racial hatred.

Four of the men will appear before Leeds Crown court for sentencing on Friday (August 9) – with the 16-year-old male set to appear on September 4.

Yorkshire post

‘I will follow you anywhere’: Stalker accessed private area of Wakefield hospital during campaign of harassment against his ex-wife

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July 2, 2020
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A stalker entered the private area of a hospital to harass his ex-wife and threatened to burn her house down.


Julian Proctor made his victim’s life a misery by breaching conditions not to contact her “literally hundreds of times.”

Leeds Crown court heard how the 50-year-old stalked his former partner for seven months after the breakdown of their 15-year relationship.

The marriage ended after years of Proctor being violent and controlling towards her.

On one occasion she suffered a fractured wrist as she jumped from a car to get away from him.

Bashir Ahmed, prosecuting, said the defendant has previous convictions for violence towards his wife.

In 2006 he was convicted of battery for breaking her nose.

Three years later, he was convicted of battery for grabbing her by the throat and squeezing until she almost passed out.

In October last year, police removed Proctor from the woman’s flat in Wakefield and arranged for the locks to be changed.

Proctor continued to refuse to accept that the relationship was over

He contacted his former partner on a daily basis by making phone phone calls and sending messages on WhatsApp and Facebook.

The defendant also sent and delivered flowers to her flat and to the hospital in Wakefield where she worked.

Mr Ahmed said Proctor would park outside the hospital and wait for her.

On one occasion he entered the hospital and accessed staff-only areas and her manager had to call security.

Proctor also resorted to blackmail by threatening to self-harm and burn her house down.

He was arrested but continued to stalk the woman while on police bail.

Proctor regularly followed her while she was shopping and even slept in his car outside her home.

He sent the victim messages saying: “I will follow you anywhere.”

On May 8 this year, Proctor sent her photos of him cutting his chest and wrists with a razor.

In his police interview, Procter denied the relationship had ended and said he loved the woman and wanted to talk to her.

He told officers: “Without (the victim) there is no life.”

In a statement to the court, the woman said she now suffers from anxiety and sleep problems.

She said she is always looking over her shoulder in case Procter is there and no longer leaves the house alone, which has affected her relationships.

She also described how she had resorted to sitting on her living room floor in the dark in hope that Proctor would think she was not at home.

Procter, of Drury Lane, Wakefield, pleaded guilty to stalking.

He has previous convictions for dishonesty, vehicle-related offences, making a threat to kill and affray.

Satpal Roth-Sharma, mitigating, said Proctor was abusing alcohol at the time of the offending.

He was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Judge Simon Batiste told him: “It is clear you had no regard for the wishes of the complainant and the conditions of police bail had no real control of you because you were perfectly willing to breach those conditions literally hundreds of times.”

Wakefield Express