Rioter who attacked police and stoked fires jailed

Callum Bacon was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court

A man who threw missiles at police and stoked fires during rioting outside a hotel housing asylum seekers has been detained for four years.

Callum Bacon, 19, was caught on CCTV throwing objects at officers and adding fence panels to one of the fires outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, near Rotherham, on 4 August last year, before shouting abuse and kicking officers.

He was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court after pleading guilty to arson and violent disorder.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said Bacon, of Wilkinson Street, Barnsley, was one of the last protesters to be sentenced for his role in the "racially motivated violence".

The court heard Bacon had drunk a "considerable amount" of alcohol before the incident.

Passing sentence Judge Richardson said: "You participated in the venom of racism and racially motivated violence along with several hundred people who were intent on mob rule.

"You were seen wearing a blue face covering while throwing missiles at officers and at the hotel, before then breaking down fence panels next to the hotel and relatively close to residential homes.

"At about 16:00 you approached officers as part of the group and were kicking at them, which lead to one female officer falling to the ground."

Alongside his sentence, which will be served at a young offender institution, Bacon received a 10-year criminal behaviour order.

Judge Richardson noted that the fire Bacon added fence panels to was not the main fire next to the hotel, but rather a second fire nearby, otherwise his sentence would have been more severe.

The court heard Bacon, who has a five-year-old daughter, had been employed as a trainee mechanic but had since lost his job.

'Immensely difficult situation'

Judge Richardson said Bacon was one of the last protestors to be sentenced due to the delay in police being able to identify him from the CCTV because he had been wearing a face covering.

The police were commended by Judge Richardson for the way they "handled an immensely difficult situation" on the day.

South Yorkshire Police Sup Int Paul Ferguson said in a witness statement that it was the "most dangerous threat to life" he had seen to the force.

"Everyone who was there could have left but they chose to stay," he said.

"The people in the hotel and residents nearby must have thought they were going to die and I believe they could have done if it had not been for the police."

On the day of the anti-immigration protests, 64 officers were left injured, while three police horses and one police dog were also left needing veterinary treatment.

Mr Richardson also told the court the overall cost to the taxpayer for the damages from the protests was about £1.4m.

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