Man 'too drunk' to recall hotel riot actions jailed

A court hears Charlie Eames "readily accepts he was highly intoxicated" during rioting in Rotherham

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.

Two other men who threw items at officers were also jailed after admitting violent disorder.

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

Rebecca Tanner, representing 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.

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 sentenced to three years in prison after he threw fence panels, a fire extinguisher and a chair at the line of officers.

Morgan Hardy and Cameron Callear were also jailed at Sheffield Crown Court

The court was told 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.

Ms Tanner, also defending Hardy, said he only went to the hotel to be nosey, but ended up doing something he admitted was "deplorable".

"He has brought shame on himself and shame on his family," she told the court.

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 displayed 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 is seen to throw the leg at police lines as another man launched the remains of the chair at officers.

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.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.