Three men have been jailed after being part of the large-scale scenes of deplorable violence at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Manvers, Rotherham, on Sunday 4 August.
Gareth Lunn will have time to reflect on his abhorrent behaviour after he was jailed for violent disorder. Lunn, of Billingley View, Bolton-upon-Dearne, Barnsley, was captured on body-worn video swinging a bin at an officer, before picking up missiles and tossing them at the police cordon.
The 41-year-old’s despicable actions didn’t stop there as he was recorded in a group damaging windows at the front of the hotel, as well as seen throwing a shopping trolley at officers.
Lunn pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on 28 August. Yesterday (21 October) at Sheffield Crown Court, he was jailed for three years.
Michael Woods was recorded on body-worn video hurling abuse at officers, threatening that a nearby dog would ‘get’ an officer. The 64-year-old was seen aggressively shouting in officers’ faces.
Woods, of Ainsdale Avenue, Goldthorpe, Barnsley, handed himself into a police station after an image of him at the disorder was circulated in a media appeal. Remorseless, Woods denied any wrongdoing and when charged with violent disorder he retorted ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’.
Despite his refusal to accept he had done anything wrong, Woods pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 19 August. He was jailed for two years.
Also present at the disorder was 24-year-old Scott Kendall who was seen launching missiles towards the lines of officers protecting the hotel and its occupants.
Kendall, of Sandymount Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham, was identified after multiple members of the public recognised him in a police media appeal.
When questioned by officers, Kendall answered no comment. He pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 24 August. Appearing on the same day at the same court as Lunn, Kendall was sentenced to two years in prison.
A man who threatened to use a dog to attack police officers outside a South Yorkshire hotel during rioting has been jailed for two years.
Large-scale disorder saw more than 60 police officers left injured when the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, was attacked on 4 August.
Michael Woods, 64, was captured on body-worn video telling police the animal would “get you” if the officers hit him with their batons, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Woods, of Ainsdale Avenue, Goldthorpe, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder.
During a short video played to the court, Woods is seen shouting at officers while standing next to a man with a dog.
The officers are standing in front of the hotel during the footage, with some of the building’s windows pictured broken.
More than 200 asylum seekers and about 25 members of staff were inside the hotel at the time.
“Police were trying to bring the increasingly hostile crowds under control,” prosecutors told the court.
During the footage, Woods tells an officer: “I live here mate, go back to where you’ve come from.
“We live here, have some respect for English people young man, you are a disgrace to society.”
“You hit me, it gets you,” he adds, referring to the dog.
There was no physical violence from the defendant, his defence barrister told the hearing.
Addressing Woods, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said: “I cannot ignore the fact you were part of the larger group indulging in this major civil disorder.”
“It was ignorant – it was not only offensive, it was also threatening in the midst of major public disorder.”
A second man, 24-year-old Scott Kendall, was also sentenced to two years in prison after admitting violent disorder.
The father-of-one, of Sandymount Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, was filmed throwing a bottle towards police officers while they protected themselves with riot shields.
References sent to the court from his employer described him as a “much liked” member of a plastering company, the court heard.
The judge asked Kendall’s barrister: “What on Earth is a young man like this doing?”
“He’s thrown away his good character,” the barrister replied.
Addressing Kendall, the judge added: “What a dreadful example you are to [his son].”
Ashley Williams, 21, of Lowfield Walk, Denaby Main, has pleaded guilty violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 17 September. He will appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 25 September.
Image of Williams
Scott Greenwood, 34, of Tingle Bridge Lane, Hemingfield, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life at Sheffield Crown Court on 16 September. He will appear for sentencing on 16 October.
Image of Greenwood
A 14-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reason, has pleaded guilty to arson and violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 9 September. He will be sentenced at the same court on 2 October.
Stephen Roughley, 44, of Barnsley Road, South Elmsall, Pontefract, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates; Court on 5 September. He will appear for sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on 19 September.
Pictured is Roughley
A 16-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, had pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 4 September. He will be sentenced at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on 15 October.
Joshua Lane, 27, of Park Road, Brierley, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 31 August. He will appear for sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on 18 September.
Photo of Lane
Ricky Cotton, 32, of Broadwater, Bolton-upon-Dearne, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 31 August. He will appear before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on 18 September.
Image of Cotton
Daniel Dicks, 33, of Probert Avenue, Goldthorpe, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 31 August. He will appear for sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on 17 September.
Image of Daniel Dicks
Daniel Kendall, 21, of Sandymount Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 30 August. He will be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on 23 September.
Image of Kendall
A 15-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 30 August. He will be sentenced at the same court on 2 October.
Gareth Lunn, 40, of Billingley View, Bolton-upon-Dearne, Barnsley, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on 28 August. He is due to appear for sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on 11 September.
Image of Lunn
Christian Hemus, 33, of Clarney Place, Barnsley has pleaded guilty to violent disorder and having a dog dangerously out of control. He will appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 3 October for sentencing.
Image is Hemus.
A 13-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at the South Yorkshire Youth Court on 26 August. He will appear before Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 4 September.
Scott Kendall, 24, of Sandymount Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 24 August. He will appear before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on 11 September.
Image of Kendall
Ryan Deering, 34, Potts Crescent, Great Houghton, Barnsley, has pleaded guilty to assault of an emergency worker at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 20 August. He will appear before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on 18 September.
Image of Deering
Sonny Ackerman, 29, of Birkdale Drive, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 22 August. He will appear before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on 10 September.
Photo of Ackerman
Lee Marshall, 39, of Princess Street, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assault of an emergency worker at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 22 August. He will appear before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on 10 September.
Image of Marshall
Mason Reddy, 24, of Victoria Street, Goldthorpe, Barnsley, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 23 August. He will appear before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on 10 September.
Photo of Reddy
Michael Woods, 64, of Ainsdale Avenue, Goldthorpe, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 19 August. He is due to appear before Sheffield Crown Court on 11 September for sentencing.
Photo of Woods
Christian Ivermee, 31, of Chapel Street, Mexborough, pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 17 August. He is due to appear before Sheffield Crown Court on 13 September for sentencing.
Photo of Ivermee
Michael Shaw, 26, of Pagnell Avenue, Thurnscoe, pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 14 August. He will appear before Sheffield Crown Court on 4 October for sentencing.
A “conspiracy theorist” who abused police when an anti-immigration protest turned violent has been jailed.
Grandfather Peter Lynch, 61, went to the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August with a placard which called police officers, MPs and the media “corrupt”.
He shouted “racist and provocative remarks” towards officers and called asylum seekers in the hotel “child killers”, the Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Sheffield Crown Court during his sentencing.
Lynch pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder and was jailed for two years and eight months on Thursday.
“Family man” Lynch, who recently had a heart attack, had gone to protest at the hotel against immigration, his defence barrister said.
He had “a general conspiracy theory against anyone and any form of authority”, and his placard referenced the “deep state” and space agency Nasa.
Video played to the court showed Lynch “revving up” the situation before it turned violent, the judge said.
He was filmed calling the police “scum”.
His sign and protest was not unlawful, but his verbal abuse towards police officers during the “racist incident” crossed the line, the judge added.
Lynch, of Burman Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, was a “full participant” in the disorder, the court was told.
“You were unquestionably endeavouring to rev up the situation the best you could,” Judge Richardson added.
The placard stated that police chiefs, reporters, civil servants, judges and the Environment Agency were all “corrupt”.
A further 10 people have appeared in court in Sheffield charged in connection with rioting at a hotel near Rotherham earlier this month.
Disorder broke out at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, which was believed to have been housing around 200 asylum seekers, on Sunday 4 August.
On Monday at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court, six men pleaded guilty to violent disorder offences and are due to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court in the coming days.
According to South Yorkshire Police, 18 people have so far appeared in court charged with various offences relating to the hotel disturbance.
The force said more than 60 officers were injured in violence at the hotel, alongside four police dogs and a police horse, when items such as bricks and bottles were hurled at them.
At Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Stuart Bolton, 38, pleaded guilty to using or threatening to use unlawful violence, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.
The court heard how Bolton committed the driving offences to travel to the scene of the riot.
CCTV footage captured the groundworker, of Manchester Square, New Holland, North Lincolnshire, shouting racist slurs and threatening to “kill and knock out officers” who attended the scene.
The court also heard how he had bragged at a petrol station about his participation in the large-scale violence.
Bolton was told he would be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday.
As he was led from the dock, he waved and smiled at his crying daughter and partner and said, “I love you”.
Billy Pemberton, a painter and decorator from Rotherham, also admitted violent disorder charges and possession of an offensive weapon in relation to picking up a police baton.
Pemberton, 31, of Rosehill Road in Rawmarsh, was remanded into custody and is due to be sentenced on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Elliot Wragg, 23, of Assembly Way in Barnsley, Glyn Guest of Pearson Crescent in Wombwell, and Trevor Lloyd, 49, of Oak Avenue in Wath upon Dearne, all pleaded guilty to using or threatening to use unlawful violence.
All three were remanded into custody and are due to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Also at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Peter Lynch, 61, of Burman Road in Wath upon Dearne, admitted a charge of violent disorder at the hotel in Manvers.
The court heard Lynch had made inappropriate comments and appeared to be encouraging others to commit violent disorder.
He also pushed a police officer “in retaliation” after being asked to step back and being pushed by an officer.
Lynch is due be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.
Also appearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday was Morgan Hardy, 29, of Melton High Street, Rotherham, who denied violent disorder offences.
He was bailed until his expected appearance at Sheffield Crown Court on 21 August.
Christian Hemus, 35, of Clarney Place in Darfield, who was accused of violent disorder and being the owner or person in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog, did not enter any pleas.
He was remanded into custody to appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 21 August.
Richard Harrison, 37, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not enter any pleas to violent disorder charges when they appeared before magistrates on Monday.
The teenager was released on bail and is due to appear before the Youth Court on 21 August.
Mr Harrison, of Ingsfield Lane in Bolton upon Dearne, was remanded into custody and is due to appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 21 August. BBC News
A gang attacked a man with metal bars and pieces of wood outside his house – following a row about barbecue parties.
Two of the six men involved in the frightening assault in Wath-upon-Dearne last July have now been jailed for their part in the attack during which their victim was knocked unconscious and badly injured.
Jack Houlton
The victim said he had been living ‘like a prisoner in his own home’ following the attack that involved one of his neighbours.
Danny Hare and Jack Houlton were both jailed at Sheffield Crown Court after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Ian Goldsack, prosecuting, said the victim’s rear garden backed onto the neighbouring property lived in by Hare, who had moved in a few months before the attack.
He said after a number of ‘minor or petty’ disagreements between them, on June 30 Hare had hosted a ‘noisy barbecue’ in which water balloons were thrown towards the victim’s open kitchen window.
Mr Goldsack said when the man asked them to stop,‘threats and abuse’ were shouted towards him.
The man hosted his own family barbecue on July 4 which ended around 10.30pm.
Mr Goldsack said shortly after midnight a man had gone to the victim’s house and repeatedly banged on the front door.
The man left after the victim said he would call the police.
Shortly after, the man left the house to walk his aunt home but six men came out of a passageway and chased him as he tried to run home.
Mr Goldsack said: “As he got to the front door, he tried to grab the door frame but felt his legs being pulled away.
“There was then a heavy blow to the back of his head and he could hear shouts of ‘Get him out of the house’.
“He thinks he lost consciousness.
“He came to in the front garden and his stepson and aunt were pulling him towards the house.”
Mr Goldsack said the man recalled being hit numerous times.
He said the victim was a self-employed builder who had at least six weeks off work because of the injuries, which included a fractured cheekbone, double vision and nerve damage.
The 36-year-old said he had been ‘living like a prisoner in my own house’ following the attack and knowing some of the people that attacked him were still at large.
Dermot Hughes, representing Houlton, said his client was now ‘remorseful’.
He said: “He has expressed sorrow for what happened to the victim. It must have been an awful attack.”
The court was told Hunt hoped to have his sentence suspended so he could return to Sheffield to live with his mother and restart working.
Judge Julian Goose QC said: “This was a frightening attack in front of his family and friends. This has caused him considerable harm.”
Hare, 28, of Bushfield Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, was jailed for two years.
Houlton, 26, of Trough Drive, Thrybergh, was given a lesser sentence of 20 months’ imprisonment because of his earlier guilty plea.
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