Brothers jailed for role in violent disorder

Luke Sissons, left, and Paul Sissons, right, pleaded guilty to violent disorder

Two brothers who were at the forefront of rioting outside a hotel in Rotherham earlier this month have been jailed.

Luke and Paul Sissons were involved a range of violent incidents at the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on 4 August.

Video played to the court showed an attack on a police dog van and violent confrontations with riot officers, with Luke Sissons telling a one officer: "I hate immigrants."

They were both jailed for three years at Sheffield Crown Court.

The Holiday Inn Express, which housed more than 200 asylum seekers, was extensively damaged in the violence with windows being smashed.

Paul Sissons, who is a tunnelling team leader on the HS2 project, was filmed over a period of nearly four hours.

He was pictured in a mob shouting at police and chanting "Tommy Robinson", before rocking a police van with officers and a dog inside.

Sissons, 37, of Two Gates Way, Barnsley, was then filmed throwing missiles at a group of cornered officers.

A final video showed him kicking at a police shield, something the judge described as "vicious".

Luke Sissons was regularly filmed at the front of the violence

Police dog used

His brother Luke Sissons, 34, of The Green View, Shafton, Barnsley, was also part of the mob rocking the van and footage was shown of him at the front of a group goading officers with riot shields who were pinned against the hotel wall.

He had been outside the hotel since at least 11:30 BST and was filmed drinking and speaking with a police officer.

He said he hated police officers, called them "grasses", and said he hated immigrants.

Watching via video link, he regularly had his head in his hands and "watched on with horror", his defence barrister said.

The case was "one of the worst examples of violent disorder", because of the volume and persistency of it, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said.

The brothers both pleaded guilty to violent disorder at a previous hearing.

Also appearing was Christopher Rogers, 38, of Millmoor Road, Barnsley.

He had spent the day filming the violence on his phone.

As he went to leave the area at about 19:00 BST, he was seen with a group of people who were masked and throwing missiles at police.

There was a short foot chase with officers where he was bitten by a police dog in the groin.

He pleaded guilty to violent disorder, and was jailed for two years.

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.