Three women cleared over Knowsley asylum hotel clashes

A police van was set on fire after the protest turned violent

Three women charged with violent disorder following a demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers have been found not guilty.

Nicola Elliott, 52, Cheryl Nicholls, 44, and Jennifer Knox, 41, were charged after the demonstration outside Suites Hotel in Knowsley on 10 February 2023.

Three police officers were injured and a police van was set on fire.

The three women were cleared on Monday after judge Denis Watson KC directed the jury to return not guilty verdicts.

He made the direction at Liverpool Crown Court following the prosecution case because there was "insufficient evidence".

The jury had heard Ms Elliott, of St Helens, was shown on camera shouting: "Get them out".

In a police interview, she told officers she believed men in the hotel were "raping" children.

She said she had never been to a protest before, and added: "I won't be attending another protest again, that's for sure."

The court heard there was "ill feeling" in the local area after a video, appearing to show an asylum seeker from the hotel asking a 15-year-old girl for her phone number and a kiss, was shared on social media.

Police in riot gear were deployed to scenes outside the hotel

Ms Nicholls, of Kirkby, Merseyside, was seen shouting and gesturing to police while filming on her phone, the prosecution alleged.

She told officers she had found out about the demonstration, said to have been organised by the English Defence League (EDL), because it was "all over social media" and leaflets had been delivered to houses.

Ms Knox, also of Kirkby, was said to have been part of a group seen confronting police.

Brian McPadden, 61, Thomas Mills, 47, Paul Lafferty, 42, Daniel Fulham, 39, all of Kirkby, and Jonjo O'Donoghue, 21, of Liverpool city centre, remain on trial.

The five men admit being present on the night but deny violent disorder.

The scene where a police vehicle was set alight

Mr McPadden told the jury on Monday he went to the hotel to protest peacefully against the asylum seekers.

He said he had seen videos of some of them "chatting up all the young girls" and this made him feel "sick".

He said he would have felt the same way if it had been local young men approaching the girls.

Mr McPadden said he was "embarrassed" by some of the bad language he had used to the police on the night.

On a police video recording, Mr McPadden can be heard saying: "If they [the asylum seekers] come out, they'll be dead."

When asked about this by his defence counsel about the remark, he said "not by me".

Under cross examination by the prosecution, he said those words were meant as "advice" to the police and not as a threat.

The barrister acting for Thomas Mills told the jury he was offering no evidence on behalf of the defendant.

The case continues.