Girl, 13, pleads guilty to violent disorder in Aldershot unrest (2024)

Dozens of people have been appearing in court following recent violent disorder across the UK - fuelled by misinformation online, the far-right and anti-immigration sentiment.

At least 322 people in England and Wales have been charged so far in connection with the violent disorder.

Northern Ireland has separate disorder laws to England and Wales. Following incidents in Belfast, at least 15 people have been charged.

Some of the reports covered today include:

• A girl, 13, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder following unrest outside at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot
• A man, 25, who admitted to looting three stores and attacking a car during riots in Hull
• A man, 53, who was jailed after assaulting a police officer in Brighton
• And four men who were sentenced for their parts in violent protests in Plymouth City Centre

We will be restarting our live coverage tomorrow with the latest reports.

Isaac Ashe and Giles Taylor
BBC News

A man who called for a hotel to be set on fire has been jailed for stirring up racial hatred.

John England's Facebook posts included one saying a Nottinghamshire hotel should be targeted by what he called “great English men” who had set a hotel in Rotherham alight.

When arrested on Sunday and interviewed by Nottinghamshire Police about his posts over a nine-day period from 30 July to 7 August, England, of Big Barn Lane in Mansfield, told officers he had “a dark sense of humour”.

At Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, the 45-year-old was jailed for one year and eight months after pleading guilty to publishing and distributing written material to stir up racial hatred.

Judge Nirmal Shant KC told England: “Plainly there was an intention to incite severe violence that would threaten or endanger life.

“In the light of what was going on in the country at the time, your post added to the situation. Therefore you must face immediate custody.”

• You can read more on this report here.

A 16-year-old has been convicted of "participating in riots" in Bolton on 4 August.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Manchester Magistrates' Court.

He was bailed and is due to be sentenced on 17 September.

Joseph Bradford, of Bishopsworth, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder in relation to unrest in Bristol city centre.

The 21-year-old appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court.

As we reported earlier, he is the 10th person to be charged by detectives investigating violent disorder in the area on 3 August.

A 25-year-old man has been convicted of throwing bottles at police outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Manchester on 31 July.

Dane Freeman, of Timson Street, Failsworth, pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Manchester Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Suzanne Ludlow says Freeman was "seen to throw bottles towards police" and "smash bricks up" in footage.

He was remanded into custody and is due to be sentenced in a week.

A woman has denied purchasing eggs and water for protesters to throw at police outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Manchester.

Barbara Barker, 52, of Tyndall Avenue, pleaded not guilty to violent disorder at Manchester Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Suzanne Ludlow alleges Barker was a "willing participant in the disorder" and "aided and abetted the riots" by buying eggs and water from a nearby shop.

Defending Barker, John Black told the court she went to the area because she was "nosey" and was not present when "violence occurred". Mr Black says she had "no reason" to believe the eggs she purchased would be "used in any unlawful purpose".

Barker was remanded into custody and is due to appear in court on 3 September.

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to four-and-a-half months in prison after he was caught on CCTV brandishing a stick at anti-racist protesters on 4 August.

Footage played in court showed Curtis Coulson, of Water Slacks Close, waving a stick in front of one woman who appeared to be filming him outside Sheffield City Hall - before others at the demonstration advanced towards him.

Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Coulson that his actions were "outrageous".

Conservative leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat has described unrest across the UK as "completely unacceptable" and condemned "racist thugs".

In a speech in central London, the shadow security minister accused Sir Keir Starmer of a "failure of leadership" over the disorder of the last two weeks - claiming the announcement of a "standing army" was a "PR line and not a policy".

He also criticised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for condemning the breakdown of law and order before the riots, "but not the riots themselves".

Tugendhat is asked why he is addressing the riots now.

He responds: "I did comment at the time online, but I'm giving this speech now because we actually have the time to reflect".

Johanna Carr
BBC News

Four people have been sentenced for their parts in violent protests in Plymouth City Centre earlier this month.

John Cann, Ryan Bailey, Gary Harkness and Amer Walid all previously admitted offences of violent disorder at Plymouth Crown Court.

Cann, 51, of Patna Place, was sentenced to three years in prison.

Bailey, 41, of no fixed abode, Plymouth, was handed a 30-month sentence.

Harkness, 51, of North West Road, received a 12-month sentence.

Walid, 24, of Central Park Towers, was sentenced to 20 months.

Cann, who threw a lit firework, was told by the judge told he had “no right whatsoever to say who should and shouldn’t be in this country”.

Judge Robert Linford said Cann had been "spouting the sort of dangerous inaccurate nonsense that was behind these incidents".

You can read more about this report here.

Staffordshire Police has issued CCTV stills, external of 11 men that detectives want to speak to in connection with violent disorder in Stoke-on-Trent on 3 August.

Ten people were arrested during what officers described as "pockets of disorder" after a pre-planned protest.

Mark Heath, of Kestrel Road in Oakham, Rutland, has pleaded not guilty to publishing written material on X, which was allegedly abusive and intended to stir up racial hatred.

He appeared at Leicester Crown Court via a link from HMP Leicester and denied the allegations, relating to the period between 22 July and 6 August.

Judge Timothy Spencer KC has set a provisional trial date for 21 October.

Victoria Scheer
BBC News

A rioter who hurled bricks and lit arrows at police officers during violent disorder outside a hotel has been detained for three years.

Drew Jarvis, 19, was among the crowd of around 400 people who descended on the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, which was believed to house around 200 asylum seekers at the time, on 4 August.

Jarvis, who was filmed throwing wooden planks, bricks and lit arrows towards officers and the hotel, had claimed to have attended against his will, but later admitted violent disorder.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, he was sentenced to three years in a young offender institution and made subject of a criminal behaviour order for 10 years.

Jarvis, of no fixed abode, also said he “got in with the wrong crowd” and did not know “why I did it” before claiming he had been too drunk to remember the incident and that he had been there against his will.

• You can read more about this report here.

We've just heard from senior crown prosecutor Thomas Power, who's been reacting to the news that a 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty to violent disorder at a protest in Aldershot.

"This alarming incident will have caused genuine fear amongst people who were being targeted by these thugs - and it is particularly distressing to learn that such a young girl participated in this violent disorder," says Power.

"Large-scale public unrest is never acceptable and the Crown Prosecution Service will not hesitate to respond swiftly and robustly to uphold law and order."

Two more people have been charged in connection with rioting outside a hotel being used to house asylum seekers.

Hundreds of anti-immigration protesters smashed windows at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, near Rotherham, before starting fires and attacking police officers.

Graham Doherty, 35, and Paul Sisson, 37, have both been charged with violent disorder in connection with the rioting which happened on 4 August, police said.

Mr Doherty, of Common Wealth, Bolton-Upon-Dearne, and Mr Sisson, of Two Gates Way, Barnsley, were due to appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court later, according to South Yorkshire Police.

Earlier we reported that John Honey, 25, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder, criminal damage and burglary from Lush, the O2 store and Shoezone during the Hull riots.

Footage from social media and verified by our colleagues previously showed Honey trying to smash the windows of a BMW.

He appears in other videos showing looting later in the day in the city centre.

Francesca Gillett
Live reporter

We've been getting lots of details this morning from courts across England, as people continue to appear in the dock over their roles in the recent riots.

There are two types of hearings today that we've mainly been reporting on:

1. People who've been charged and are now appearing in court for the first time to enter pleas of guilty or not guilty - like the man in Hull who pleaded guilty to looting Lush and Shoezone earlier
2. Those who have already been convicted and are now being sentenced - like the man who was jailed for 16 months over the counter-protest in Brighton.

On top of this, police are continuing to arrest and charge more people as their investigations continue. There are a lot of updates to go through - so we're sifting through them all and bringing you the latest.

Sean Killick
Reporting from court

More now from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court, which sat as a youth court for the 13-year-old girl who we reported on earlier.

Shepleaded guilty to a single charge, accused of using or threatening unlawfulviolence. No details of the evidence were given.

The case was adjourned to 30 September for pre-sentence reports from the Youth Justice Service and she was released onunconditional bail.

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to three charges following a counter-protest in Brighton on 7 August.

Ian Ward, 53, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with affray, assault by beating of an emergency worker, and assault by beating.

He has been jailed for 16 months at Hove Crown Court.

Judge Christine Henson says the case "couldn't be viewed in isolation" given the circ*mstances of unrest across the UK, adding "only an immediate custodial sentence" would suffice.

Paul McCallister, of City Way, Belfast, has appeared in court on charges of riotous assembly and encouraging or assisting others to riot in Belfast on 3 August.

No application for bail was made, and McCallister remained in custody. His lawyer is expected to apply for bail when the 26-year-old is due back in court next Wednesday.

He is the latest of a number of men to appear before courts in Northern Ireland on charges related to serious disorder in Belfast earlier this month following an anti-immigration protest.

A 13-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to threatening unlawful violence during a protest in Aldershot on 31 July.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted the violent disorder offence following the protest outside Potters International Hotel.

She sat with her parents at the short hearing at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.

District Judge Tim Pattinson ordered for a pre-sentence report to be made and adjourned the youngster’s sentencing to take place on 30 September.