Rioter who lit fire in hotel car park during mob violence jailed for six years

A rioter who acceptable occurrence to a generator arsenic a mob besieged a edifice lodging asylum seekers has been jailed for six years.

Scott Greenwood, 34, was filmed throwing wood connected the occurrence during the upset astatine the Holiday Inn Express astatine Manvers, adjacent Rotherham, connected August 4, Sheffield Crown Court heard connected Tuesday.

Judge Jeremy Richardson KC described however Greenwood was portion of a radical that acceptable occurrence to items astir a disused generator and past fed the blaze with fencing smashed down from adjacent gardens.

I'm wholly satisfied you went to the country of the edifice with a presumption to participating successful racist mob violence.

Judge Jeremy Richardson KC

Judge Richardson said the occurrence was not arsenic superior arsenic different blaze started earlier that day extracurricular the occurrence doorway of the hotel, but the “vigorous” blaze inactive posed a superior information to constabulary and to residents successful the houses down the generator.

The tribunal heard that Greenwood was aboriginal spotted astatine the forefront of a mob taunting a enactment of riot constabulary and stoked a writer occurrence which had been lit to make a fume hazard for the officers.

The justice heard that the suspect was easy identified erstwhile helium took disconnected his garment and tied it circular his look and besides due to the fact that of a distinctive St George’s emblem bucket chapeau helium was wearing.

Judge Richardson said the chapeau gave the prevarication to the defendant’s claims that helium had nary racist intent erstwhile helium attended the upset astatine the hotel.

He told Greenwood: “I’m wholly satisfied you went to the country of the edifice with a presumption to participating successful racist mob violence.

“You took a chapeau and wore that chapeau which undoubtedly had racist connotations.”

The justice added: “From archetypal to last, the venom of racism infected the entirety of what occurred.

“It’s a precise bittersweet authorities of affairs that that flag, and connected occasions the Union flag, has been appropriated by racists specified arsenic you.

“Immigration is simply a morganatic substance for nationalist and governmental debate. Public protestation is simply a morganatic signifier of nationalist expression.

“We unrecorded successful a antiauthoritarian state wherever nationalist statement and state of look are wholly acceptable.

“What took spot successful Rotherham that time had thing whatsoever to bash with morganatic nationalist protest. It was a tendency to perpetrate mob rule.”

Judge Richardson ruled that Greenwood, who has had 44 erstwhile tribunal appearances covering 103 abstracted offences, is “dangerous” and would truthful beryllium taxable to an extended sentence.

He said this meant a six-year situation word followed by an extended licence play of 3 years.

Greenwood, of Tingle Bridge Lane, Hemingfield, South Yorkshire, admitted convulsive upset and arson being reckless arsenic to whether beingness was endangered astatine a erstwhile hearing.

He stood successful the glass-fronted dock arsenic helium was sentenced flanked by a information guard.

Judge Richardson told him: “You are a unsafe offender. History could repetition itself.”

Greenwood is the latest of much than 70 men who person been jailed aft the rioting astatine the hotel.

The tribunal heard that the 240 residents were trapped connected the precocious floors of the gathering arsenic rioters broke successful and started a occurrence successful a bin astatine 1 of the exits, filling the edifice with smoke.

Staff person described however they barricaded themselves into a harmless room, fearing they would die.

More than 60 constabulary officers were injured successful the disorder, the tribunal heard.