Prison sentences have been given to rioters involved in some of the most severe unrest the UK has encountered in over a decade. Judges in various towns and cities, including Liverpool, Plymouth and Teesside, sentenced individuals for violent disorder sparked by the killing of three young girls in Southport. Prosecutors confirmed there were 21 convictions on Thursday, with more still to come. The cases are being fast-tracked to ensure they appear in court quickly.
Among the people jailed were a 69-year-old male who armed himself with a small truncheon, and a 28-year-old male who used a motorbike helmet to knock a teenager off his bike. On the other hand, former postmaster Steven Mailen, and his partner Ryan Sheers, were given two years and two months in prison each at Teesside Crown Court recently. Mailen and Sheers, both from Hartlepool, were described as “at the very forefront of the mob” by a judge. At the same court, 19-year-old Kieron Gatenby was jailed for 16 months at a young offender institution because he was part of a group hurling objects at police and damaging houses, cars, and shops while shouting racial slurs.
Additionally, in other parts of the country, two men were given jail terms at Liverpool Crown Court for two years and eight months after admitting violent disorder. John O’Malley and William Nelson Morgan were both jailed for their involvement in disturbances. The 69-year-old Nelson possessed an offensive truncheon and admitted to violent disorder in Liverpool on the night of Saturday, while Adam Wharton who has a previous criminal record and his younger brother Ellis Wharton both loot the library community hub set ablaze by rioters and was jailed for 20 and 11 months, respectively.
In Plymouth Crown Court, 29-year-old Lucas Ormond Skeaping was sentenced to 18 months for violent disorder. The defendant was caught throwing bottles and rocks using a GoPro camera he had in his possession. So far, the police have made almost 500 arrests, with 149 charges, and they are expecting the numbers to rise significantly. The violence, sparked by the killing of three young girls in Southport, is said to be the worst in the UK since 2011 when riots across England resulted in lootings, arson, and five people dying. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that the considerable sentences given should send a message to anyone arrested
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