TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Longest jail terms for UK disorder handed down as prosecutors pursue riot charges

Judge John Thackray said David Wilkinson had played a leading role in what he described as "12 hours of racist, hate-fueled mob violence", kicking out and throwing missiles at officers, spitting at them and trying to start a fire.

Reuters
London
Sat, August 17, 2024 Published on Aug. 17, 2024 Published on 2024-08-17T02:25:30+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Longest jail terms for UK disorder handed down as prosecutors pursue riot charges View of Liverpool Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts after two men, John O'Malley, 43, and William Nelson Morgan, 69, were sentenced for two years and eight months for violent disorder during anti-Muslim riots last week after the killing of three girls in northwest England, in Liverpool, Britain on Aug. 8, 2024. (Reuters/Yves Herman)

T

wo men on Friday received the longest jail sentences yet over the recent widespread violent disorder in Britain, as prosecutors charged another man with the more serious offence of rioting and said further charges were likely to follow.

A 48-year-old man was jailed for six years for a number of offences including racially aggravated criminal damage and violent disorder in Hull, northeast England, on Aug. 3.

Judge John Thackray said David Wilkinson had played a leading role in what he described as "12 hours of racist, hate-fueled mob violence", kicking out and throwing missiles at officers, spitting at them and trying to start a fire.

Another man John Honey, 25, was jailed for 56 months for violent disorder and burglary. Honey was repeatedly seen on film footage of the Hull riot because he had worn a distinctive shirt with the England flag.

He was shown in the footage looting shops and being part of a group which, along with Wilkinson, attacked a car carrying three Romanian men and had tried to drag them from the vehicle.

"You [...] were intending to create a high risk of injury to persons because you were doing your best to assist others in exposing the occupants to the wrath of the baying mob," Thackray told them.

The sentences are the longest imposed after days of rioting involving violence, arson and looting as well as racist attacks—the previous longest being three years and four months.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service on Friday charged a 32-year-old man with the offence of riot, having charged a 15-year-old boy with riot on Thursday.

Riot is a more serious charge than violent disorder and carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.

Gale Gilchrist, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East, said the 32-year-old was "one of a number of individuals who we expect will be charged with riot".

Police and prosecutors are responding to disorder which followed the killings of three young girls in the northern English town of Southport on July 29, which based on online misinformation were wrongly blamed on an Islamist migrant.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said in its latest update on Friday that, since the trouble that followed the Southport murders, police had a made a total of 1,117 arrests.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.