Woman sentenced to two years in jail for throwing a brick at police during a riot in Hartlepool
Donna Conniff, 40, encouraged boy to throw missile at police and was seen kicking out at an officer
A woman who threw a brick at police officers has been jailed for two years as more people were sentenced for their part in far-right riots in England.
Donna Conniff, 40, encouraged a young boy to throw a missile at police and was seen kicking out at an officer in actions a judge called “truly disgraceful”.
The carer, a mother of six, claimed she had come across the riot in Hartlepool “by chance” and was remorseful for her behaviour.
But the judge, Francis Laird KC, said Conniff was a “persistent participant” and sentenced her to two years in prison.
It came as a mother and daughter wept as they appeared in the dock together charged with violent disorder after unrest in Middlesbrough.
Amanda Walton, 52, who was said to have been walking her dog, is accused of throwing a stone at a building and damaging a car wing mirror as a group made its way through the city centre.
Her daughter Megan Davison, 24, was accused of repeatedly jumping on the roof of the same parked car.
Neither entered a plea. They were remanded in custody ahead of a court appearance later this month.
Davison’s partner, Jake Wray, 23, appeared in a neighbouring courtroom charged with violent disorder and arson with intent.
He is accused of stopping cars to ask if the driver was white or English, and setting a wheelie bin alight.
Wray did not enter pleas but it was indicated he would deny the offences. He was also remanded in custody for a later court date.
In Manchester, a woman who took her one-year-old son to a gathering outside a hotel housing asylum seekers was told she could be jailed when she is sentenced next month.
Nevey Smith, 21, from Oldham, admitted violent disorder after being filmed throwing liquid at officers while pushing her child in a stroller.
Judge Patrick Field KC warned Smith that she could still face jail before releasing her on bail until sentencing at Manchester crown court on 23 September.
Another demonstrator, Lynden Parker, 26, was jailed for 26 months after admitting violent disorder for throwing an electronic cigarette during the same demonstration outside the Holiday Inn Express in Newton Heath.
The court heard he had sent voice notes expressing “shameful” racist views and suggesting plans to burn down a mosque.
Demonstrators could be heard chanting “Allah, Allah: who the fuck is Allah?” and “Save our kids! Save our kids” in footage played at Manchester crown court on Monday.
Philip Hall, prosecuting, said an asylum seeker who was living in the hotel suffered cuts to his back and arm after being hit with glass fragments. It was not suggested that Parker had thrown that missile.
A statement from the victim read to court said: “This incident has had a devastating effect on me. I did not feel safe in the hotel any more. When I go out I always look over my shoulder.
“I came to this country to feel safe but since this incident I do not feel safe any more.”
The judge told Parker: “You appear to have been motivated by deeply unpleasant, ignorant and possibly extremist racist views and such a mindset.
“By your presence as part of a mob and throwing that missile, you were encouraging and spurring on others to behave in a similar way.
“People like you who involve themselves and participate in such violence, bringing terror and disorder into this city, must expect severe consequences by way of severe custodial sentences.”
More than 1,200 people have so far been arrested and 474 charged over the disorder in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland after the killing of three young girls in Southport on 29 July.
The demonstrations, which often included anti-immigration and Islamophobic chants, were initially sparked in the seaside town by misinformation online about the identity of the attacker. The disorder then spread to towns and cities including London, Hartlepool, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Hull, Blackpool and Belfast over the following week.
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