A 60-year-old man has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after he pulled a police officer to the ground by his shield during riots outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.
Footage of Glyn Guest repeatedly charging at a line of police officers protecting the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham was shown in a Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.
Bodycam footage taken from behind a police officer’s shield shows Guest being pushed back five times before grabbing another officer’s shield, who is then pulled to the ground amid cheers from the crowd.
The female officer whose footage was played said in a statement about the impact of the situation: “I was terrified for my safety” during the chaos outside the hotel, which left more than 50 police officers injured and attempts were made to storm the building and set it on fire.
The officer said it was “a horrific incident of mindless violence” and that in her five and a half years of service she had “never experienced anything like it”.
Chris Aspinall, defending, told the court his client “simply has no explanation for his behaviour”.
Mr Aspinall said: “He was walking his dog. He lives about two miles from where this happened.
“He had no problems with the residents of the hotel before the incident. He has been problem-free for at least 13 years.”
Sheffield registrar, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said the behaviour of the “mob” was “despicable towards the police officers”.
He told Guest: “You were part of a violent mob and you played your part fully.”
The court heard that Guest’s nose was broken in the incident, to which Judge Richardson replied: “He is the author of his own misfortune.”
The judge said: “It must be made clear that those who participate in this form of violent disorder will be severely punished by the courts.
“It is the duty of the court to do what it can to protect the public.”
He said: “The maximum sentence for violent disorder is five years.
“It is up to parliament to decide whether that should be reviewed, in light of these recent events. I have to make a judgment based on the law as it is.”
Guest, of Pearson Crescent, Wombwell, South Yorkshire, admitted violent disorder last week.
Another man arrested after the hotel violence was sentenced to three years in prison by Judge Richardson on Wednesday.
Trevor Lloyd, 49, a father of three, was part of the crowd that stormed the hotel, the court heard.
Lloyd used a phone to film the break-in at the Holiday Inn Express building and then followed the group of men inside through a broken fire door.
Judge Richardson was shown TikTok footage of the crowd breaking inside and taking items such as furniture and fire extinguishers, before throwing them at a line of shield-wielding police officers, who were forced to retreat under the barrage.
The judge – who has now sentenced a number of people in connection with the Rotherham riots – said it was the “worst footage I have ever seen”.
Judge Richardson told Lloyd that the hotel residents and staff would have been “terrified” as the crowd entered the hotel building.
The judge said: “I have seen the footage of what happened. It was frightening and alarming, even to see in the courtroom.
“It must have been downright terrifying for those present, including the police officers.”
Richard Adams, defending, said his client had gone to the area to do some shopping at the Aldi supermarket next door but had “made the stupid mistake of deciding to go and look” at the disorder.
Lloyd, of Oak Avenue, Rotherham, admitted violent disorder at an earlier hearing.
The court heard how Stuart Bolton, 38, drove more than 50 miles from his home in New Holland, North Lincolnshire, to hurl racist abuse at police during the Rotherham riots.
Bolton, who runs a tillage company, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
On Wednesday, footage was released showing him yelling and challenging police officers protecting the hotel.
The court heard that Bolton shouted a series of insults including: “Come here you Paki – finish it, finish it” and “you and me now, one on one, I’ll finish you”.
The judge also confiscated the Mercedes car Bolton drove to Rotherham after being told he was not allowed to drive and had no insurance. He was banned from driving for three years.
Another man, Elliott Wragg, 23, was sentenced by Judge Richardson to two years and four months in prison.
Wragg was one of several people from a large group of about 70 to 100 who threw various objects at a small group of 10 police officers outside the hotel, the court heard.
Dale Harris, defending him, said his client had said he had “no racist views” and that his actions were “completely out of character”.
Wragg, of Assembly Way, Barnsley, admitted violent disorder at an earlier hearing.
The court also heard how 31-year-old painter and decorator Billy Pemberton, who employs three people, will lose his business because of his “stupidity” after he was filmed during the disturbances.
Pemberton appeared in court on Wednesday after admitting violent disorder, but his sentence was adjourned until 10.30am on Thursday because the court ran out of time.
Judge Richardson heard that Pemberton was part of a group that threw missiles at a small group of “cornered” police officers outside the hotel, but there was no evidence he threw anything at the officers himself.
He said he was also spotted in a group chanting: “Who the f*** is Allah?”
Pemberton admitted that he picked up a police weapon that had been dropped by an officer and removed it from the scene.
Gordon Stables, defending him, said his client was “utterly devastated and remorseful” and that the inevitable prison sentence would see him lose his business.
Mr Stables said Pemberton went to the hotel after seeing “things on social media that were completely and totally untrue, complete lies”.
He said, “Others will suffer for his stupidity.”
Another suspect who admitted violent disorder in connection with the Rotherham riots, Peter Lynch, also had his case adjourned on Wednesday due to time constraints.
Lynch, 61, of Burman Road, Wath upon Dearne, will be sentenced on August 22.