Daniel Sandford
Home affairs correspondent

Judge John Thackray KC, the Recorder of Hull, has suggested that some of those involved in the disorder in the last few weeks should be charged with riot and not just violent disorder.

The judge said, "The prosecution do need to look - for those who are playing front and central roles - at the alternative charge of riot rather than violent disorder".

The offences are similar in many ways, but the maximum sentence for riot is 10 years and the maximum sentence for violent disorder is five years.

The most significant differences between the definition of the two offences is that riot must be “for a common purpose”. Also riot must involve 12 or more people and violent disorder only three or more people.

No-one has yet been charged with riot in the last two weeks.

Those being sentenced for violent disorder have been getting prison sentences of between 12 months and 3 years 4 months.

That is because at this stage all those being sentenced have pleaded guilty, which earns a third off the sentence. Five years (60 months) minus a third is 3 years and 4 months (40 months).

Only one person has been given 3 years and 4 months so far. He was Gareth Metcalfe, who was involved in the rioting in Southport and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

A 49-year-old man who was part of a mob that broke into a hotel housing asylum seekers near Rotherham is jailed for three years.

Father-of-three Trevor Lloyd, of Oak Avenue, Rotherham – who admitted violence disorder – filmed on a phone as the hotel was breached on 4 August and then followed a group of men into the building, the judge heard.

Sheffield Crown Court was shown TikTok footage of the crowd breaking into the hotel, bringing items including furniture and fire extinguishers outside and then throwing them at a line of police and forcing them to retreat.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC – who has already sentenced several people in connection with the riot – said this was the "worst footage I have seen".

He said: "It was frightening and alarming even to watch in the court room. It must have been utterly terrifying for those present, including the police officers."

Richard Adams, defending, said his client had gone to the area to go shopping at the Aldi supermarket next to the hotel but "he made the foolish error of deciding to go and have a look" at the disorder.

A total of 389 people have been charged following the recent public disorder, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says.

In an update, posted to social media, the CPS says its teams "continue to work around the clock, along with the police, to charge people as quickly as possible and ensure justice is served".

For context, the CPS is responsible for criminal prosecutions in England and Wales.

Image source, Humberside Police

A man who kicked a female police officer to the ground during riots in Hull has been jailed for three years.

Connor Whiteley, 26, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker after playing a "prominent role" in the "racist, hate-fuelled mob violence" that unfolded in the city on 3 August, Hull Crown Court heard.

He was accused of kicking the shield of a female police officer, forcing her off her feet and leaving her with a minor injury to her elbow and forearm.

Police had been trying to protect a hotel known to house asylum seekers.

After the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, riots broke out across England, and in Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Crowds attacked mosques and accommodation housing asylum seekers, cars and buildings were set on fire, and shops looted. The Police Federation estimated more than 100 officers were injured.

The disorder was fuelled by misinformation online, the far-right and anti-immigration sentiment.

Counter-demonstrators responded with a series of rallies, with thousands gathering on Wednesday 7 August.

Here's a timeline of the disorder:

A man accused of threatening serious harm and death with an imitation AK-47 assault rifle in a social media video viewed has denied the charges against him.

Habeeb Khan, 49, of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing an imitation AK-47 between 4 and 6 August with intent to cause "members of the EDL" (English Defence League) to believe unlawful violence would be used against them.

He also denies sending a communication threatening death or serious harm between 4 and 6 August in a video uploaded to social media platform X.

Khan entered his pleas at Birmingham Crown Court and is being held in custody, with a trial scheduled for 18 November.

Elsewhere, 52-year-old man has pleaded guilty to violent disorder during unrest in Manchester city centre.

Warren Gilchrest, of North Road, Manchester, was "goading the crowd and encouraging violence" and "actively encouraging others" to assault a man during a gathering of a far-right protesters in Piccadilly Gardens on 3 August, Manchester Magistrates' Court heard.

Prosecutor Jonathan Potter told the court Gilchrest made "numerous racist or racially aggravated comments” and was heard shouting: “England, England, England – take it back”.

He was remanded into custody to be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court next week.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

A 60-year-old man has been jailed for two years and eight months after causing an officer to fall to the floor as police clashed with demonstrators outside a hotel housing asylum seekers near Rotherham on 4 August.

Glyn Guest, of Pearson Crescent, Wombwell, admitted violent disorder last week and was sentenced today at Sheffield Crown Court.

Body-worn camera footage showed Guest repeatedly being pushed back by a riot shield as he approached a line of police six times outside of a Holiday Inn Express, before grabbing another shield, causing an officer to fall to the floor to cheering from the crowd.

The female officer whose body-worn camera footage was played said in an impact statement how she was "terrified for my safety” during the disorder, which saw more than 50 police injured and attempts to storm and set fire to the building.

The officer said “it was a horrific incident of mindless thuggery” and that she had encountered “nothing like it before” in her five-and-a-half years of service.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said the conduct of the “mob” was “vile", told Guest: “You were part of a violent mob and you were playing your part to the full.”

You can watch his remarks back in full below:

An update now on charges related to the recent disorder, with two more young people among those due in court.

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with violent disorder by detectives investigating unrest in Bristol city centre on Saturday 3 August.

And a 14-year-old boy has been charged with a public order offence following disorder in Whitehall, the Metropolitan Police say – he is due to appear at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court later this month.

Image source, Handout

On 29 July, Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event. Eight more children and two adults were injured.

Later that day, police said they had arrested a 17-year-old from a village nearby and that they were not treating the incident as terror-related.

Almost immediately after the attack, social media posts falsely speculated that the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK on a boat in 2023, with an incorrect name being widely circulated. There were also unfounded rumours that he was Muslim.

In fact, the suspect was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.

The following evening, more than a thousand people attended a vigil for the victims in Southport. Later on, violence broke out in the town and developed into a riot.

The day after, violent protests in London, Hartlepool and Manchester broke out, which police linked to Southport. More then took place throughout the week – with many targeting mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.

• You can read more about how the violence spread here

Dorset Police has charged a 40-year-old man with violent disorder and assault by beating of an emergency worker following a protest in Weymouth.

Kevin Searle, of Weymouth, is due to appear at Poole Magistrates' Court later.

Image source, Greater Manchester Police

We mentioned earlier that a 28-year-old man is due in court to be sentenced for violent disorder following an attack on a black man in Manchester city centre on 3 August.

Liam Ryan, of Thirkleby Royd, Bradford, West Yorkshire – who was shaking and wiped away tears with a tissue – pleaded guilty to violent disorder last week and was remanded in custody.

Prosecutor Laura Peers said a "large group of far-right protesters" were seen engaging in an "altercation with one black male", which was filmed by members of the group and uploaded on social media.

"Ryan was seen on the footage aiming a punch towards the male involved," she said.

He is due to appear at Manchester Crown Court today.

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

“This could have been so much worse,” a Downing Street adviser tells me. “People were trying to set fire to a hotel with people inside.”

But the prime minister, they insist, is “focused” - and after a career spent largely in the criminal justice system “knows which levers to pull”.

Sir Keir Starmer was the chief prosecutor of England and Wales during the last major outbreak of civil unrest in the UK in 2011, overseeing the prosecution of thousands of people involved in five days of rioting.

Image source, PA Media

Rapid and well-publicised action by the courts was key in bringing the unrest to an end, he said then. And this time ministers have emphasised “strong policing and swift prosecutions” to deter others joining the violence.

Yet the prime minister and his aides have pointedly avoided answering questions about the underlying causes of the riots.

I’m told the reason for this message discipline is a concern that discussing causes might be misinterpreted as suggesting some of the unrest was justified.

• Read on here

Oliver Wright
Reporting from Yorkshire

Six men are due to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court later over their involvement in rioting at a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Windows were smashed, fires set and police officers attacked when about 700 anti-immigration protesters converged on the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, near Rotherham on 4 August.

Glyn Guest, 60, Trevor Lloyd, 49, Billy Pemberton, 31, Stuart Bolton, 38, Elliott Wragg, 23 and Peter Lynch, 61, have all pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Pemberton has also admitted possession of an offensive weapon, while Bolton will also be sentenced for driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified.

Dozens of people appeared in courts across England yesterday as the criminal justice system continued to process the cases of those involved or accused of involvement in the rioting and disorder of the past two weeks.

They included:

• A 13-year-old girl, who can't be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and threatening unlawful violence at a protest outside a hotel in Aldershot on 31 July
• John Honey, 25, who looted shops Lush and Shoezone during riots in Hull, pleaded guilty to violent disorder, burglary and racially aggravated criminal damage, as well as racially aggravated criminal damage of a BMW and damaging nine other cars
• Ian Ward, 53, of no fixed address, was jailed for assaulting a female police officer and attacking another man at a counter-protest in Brighton
• Four men were sentenced after admitting violent disorder during protests in Plymouth City Centre

Image source, PA Media

We mentioned in our last post that a woman accused of sending a threatening message - suggesting to "blow up a mosque with adults inside" - is due in court later.

Julie Sweeney, of Lawtongate Estate in Church Lawton, Cheshire, has been charged with sending communications threatening death or serious harm.

The 53-year-old was arrested after police received a complaint about the hateful tone of a message posted on a Facebook community group in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire.

She did not enter a plea when she appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court last week, where she was remanded in custody ahead of a scheduled court appearance today at Chester Crown Court.

As well as people being sentenced, there are also several people up in court today for the first time, after being charged with offences. They haven’t entered pleas yet:

London: A 41-year-old man from Lambeth is due in court accused of assaulting an emergency worker and using threatening or insulting behaviour, during disorder in Whitehall on 31 July. Another man, aged 37 from Sutton, is also due in court for assaulting an emergency worker

Chester: A 53-year-old woman from Church Lawton, Cheshire, is charged with sending a threatening message suggesting to "blow up a mosque with adults inside” on 3 August

Birmingham: Habeeb Khan, 49, is due in court accused of possessing an imitation AK-47 after a video circulated on social media between 5 and 6 August

We’ve been looking at the court schedules for today - here's a look at those due to be sentenced:

Bristol: Two men are due to be sentenced for violent disorder in Bristol. Mark Bowen, of no fixed address, and Daniel Russell, of Redfield, Bristol previously pleaded guilty over a riot in Bristol on 4 August

Manchester: Liam Ryan, 28, of Thirkleby Royd, Bradford, West Yorkshire, is due to be sentenced for violent disorder following an attack on a black man in Manchester on 3 August

Newcastle: Two men due to be sentenced for violent disorder related to riots in Sunderland

Hull: One man is due to be sentenced at Hull Crown Court charged with burglary

Sheffield: Six men to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court over the Rotherham hotel riot

London: Man to be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court for violent disorder

Emily Atkinson
Live page editor

Image source, Reuters

Welcome to another day of our live coverage as we continue to follow the large numbers of people being put through the courts over their roles in the recent riots.

The prosecutions follow days of violent unrest in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland after three young girls were killed in a stabbing in Southport.

Hotels housing asylum seekers were attacked after false information online claimed the suspect was a Muslim immigrant. Shops were also looted and cars attacked.

We have reporters feeding in the key lines from courts around the country, so stay with us for updates.