'Burn the place down' rioter jailed for five years

Mitchell Cleaver, 26, from Tamworth was jailed for five years and seven months

A man has been jailed for five years and seven months for encouraging people to set fire to a hotel during rioting in Staffordshire.

Mitchell Cleaver, 26, from Tamworth sent messages to a number of people prior to the unrest, urging them to "burn the place down" and "make it the maddest night in Tamworth history", according to Staffordshire Police.

Cleaver pleaded guilty to riot in September at Stafford Crown Court.

At the time, it was the first conviction for the offence in the West Midlands after last summer's disorder.

Prosecuting, Ms Raj Punia said Cleaver was seen throwing missiles at the police line.

He had possession of a fire extinguisher, she said, and used it against officers, spraying them in an effort to force them back.

In police interviews, Cleaver denied being at the riot and said he was at a gym.

He also told authorities he could not have attended the riot because he had a severe leg injury.

The prosecution maintained he was clearly present, and the court was shown footage from his phone which showed the moment the Holiday Inn's window was smashed before a fire was ignited inside.

More than 300 rioters targeted the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth on 4 August

Two healthcare workers, who were inside the hotel at the time, said they were terrified and in fear for their lives.

Since the attack they had not felt able to go out alone, they said, and had had to take sleeping tablets.

The hotel manager said they thought they were going to die, and took refuge in the building's loft.

Staffordshire's chief constable, Christopher Noble, said officers had described a mob with weapons, hammer and bats, and that they were subjected to whipping with cables.

One officer was hit with a firework in the chest.

A neighbouring force was called in to support, he said, which was rare and highlighted the extreme nature of the violence.

The psychological impact of the riots on police personnel may not be known for some time, he added.

Christopher O'Gorman, for the defence, said Cleaver was aware his actions had wreaked havoc on himself and his family.

He said psychological assessments had shed light on his severe learning difficulties, saying his IQ was 65 and he had "borderline" reasoning abilities.

Mr O'Gorman said Cleaver had made progress during the five months he had already spent in custody, citing his involvement as an autism representative at HMP Dovegate and as an advocate for inmates who were illegal immigrants - highlighting that this was a similar group to those he had directed his anger towards during the riot.

He was "on a road to understanding their plights", Mr Gorman said.

Disorder spread across England last summer in the wake of the killing of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguair and Bebe King

Judge Laura Hobson approved a criminal behaviour order of 10 years, meaning Cleaver cannot go near the Holiday Inn hotel or Snowdome in Tamworth, or within 100m (109 yards) of anywhere housing asylum seekers, or wear any face coverings.

She described the events which took place on 4 August as a "picture of horror" for staff and police working that day.

Judge Hobson added she did not accept that Cleaver was "a vessel for false information" and said he was one of the main offenders that day who had made the violence worse.

Disorder spread across England last summer in the wake of the killing of three girls in Southport by Axel Rudakubana, who was jailed last month for a minimum of 52 years.