Five men, including three who threw bricks and other missiles at a mosque, have been jailed for taking part in violent disorder in Stoke-on-Trent.
James Watkins, 35, Andrew Townley, 45, Ashley Morris, 31, Lee Grocott, 48 and Jarrod Hollinshead, 26, each took part in a protest in the city on August 3, which was organised in response to a knife attack at a dance studio in Southport on July 29 that left three girls dead.
Morris, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Grocott, of Stoke-on-Trent and Hollinshead, of no fixed address, were each caught on CCTV and police body-worn camera throwing missiles including stones and bricks at the Darul Falah mosque in Town Road, Hanley, Staffordshire.
Stoke Crown Court heard Grocott stood on a bench being “verbally abusive” towards a group of peaceful protesters near the town hall.
Prosecutor Dylan Wagg said he was “clapping and shouting ‘paedos’ towards those protesting”.
Mr Wagg said Grocott told police when he was arrested at his home on September 9, that he had attended to “protest illegal immigration and the state of the country”, and admitted shouting offensive anti-Islamic remarks but denied he said anything racist, and “likened it to football chanting”.
Morris picked up a brick from the ground and threw it towards the mosque after heading into town “with a curiosity to see what was going on”, after he finished work and tried to go to a shop that was closed because of the disorder, his barrister Stuart Muldoon told the court on Tuesday.
The father of three young sons was also the victim of a hammer attack at the protest, which left him with six stitches in his head and a broken nose.
Mr Muldoon said: “Ashley Morris does not hold right-wing views or beliefs. When he woke up on August 3 he had no intention of becoming involved in any protest. He admits he got caught up.
“He feels immense guilt and shame about the position he is in and the position he has put his family in, as they have also become victims of his offending.”
Morris lost his job as a groundworker as a result of being held in custody after his arrest, the court was told.
He was also topless for parts of the protest, as he had taken his shirt off to use as a bandage for an injured woman, Mr Muldoon said.
Hollinshead, who has been homeless for more than a decade and does not own a phone or a computer, took part in the protest hours after leaving the city’s magistrate’s court over an unrelated offence.
The court was told by his barrister, Debbie Leadbeater, that he had been told about a protest when he went to the library to use the computer to email his family, only to find it was closed.
He said he initially thought it was going to be a parade, with bands and music, and was encouraged to join because there would be free beer shared, but realised it was a protest when he saw bricks being thrown.
He was caught on camera saying words to the effect of “f*** all of you” and was taken to the ground by police when he threw a brick.
Ms Leadbeater said Hollinshead was “suggestible” and had “poor judgment”, adding: “He is autistic and has had an extremely difficult life and suffers with PTSD as a result.
“His behaviour on August 3 is inexplicable and something he truly regrets.
“He is a man who has nothing at all. He has always been on the streets with nothing and no-one at all caring for him.
“He wants to take this as an opportunity to reset his life and use his time in custody to deal with the issues he has had throughout his life.”
Townley, of Hanley, who works in the building trade and was wearing a high-visibility jacket with the telephone number of his workplace on the back, was trying to get to his mother’s home on the other side of the police cordon, and had no intention of being part of a protest, his barrister Jason Holt told the court.
He was arrested at his workplace after trying to break through the police line, to which he was pushed back by an officer using her riot shield.
He said “you have got no chance against me, no chance, any of you”, before he disappeared back into the crowd.
Mr Holt said Townley’s presence at the protest was “momentary”, adding: “His mother relies heavily on him for things like shopping. He was concerned about her welfare and was annoyed that he had been stopped from getting through the police line to get to her.
“He acknowledges that he tried to walk through the police line, but when he was stopped he went back into the crowd and actually found another route through. He played no other part.
“He states he has no right-wing involvement and was most upset by what he heard being said. He admits he should have removed himself from the situation.
“His family have lived for over 100 years in Shelton, an area which is very multicultural, and he has no axe to grind with anyone he has lived with. He is most upset with his behaviour and how it has affected others.
“He had no weapon and threw nothing, but he accepts his behaviour was totally out of order.
“He is a hardworking man and is someone who volunteered at the cricket club and the local mosque.”
Watkins, who Mr Wagg said had a “continuous presence” at the protest and was at the front of the police line, was also caught on body-worn camera footage standing on a bench being verbally abusive and gesturing with his hands.
He also pushed an officer’s riot shield and said “f*** off you scumbag”.
Mr Wagg said: “He shouted ‘come on then’ to try to raise more angst. He pulled out a half empty VK glass bottle from his bag and said to someone else ‘get a lighter out of your bag’, and there was a fear he may have used it as a missile towards officers.
“He also said to an officer ‘you hit me again, I’m hitting you with [the bottle].”
Mr Holt, also acting for Watkins, of Stoke-on-Trent, said the defendant also got involved after drinking with a friend in the town centre.
He said: “He says he holds no right-wing beliefs but he accepts that, through curiosity, he got involved and deeply regrets following the protesters.
“His outburst, where he takes out the bottle, was in response to being hit with a shield. He was under the influence of alcohol.
“He overreacted and he is quite ashamed, and ashamed for good reason.”
He said Watkins, a father-of-four, had lost his job because of Covid, had become addicted to monkey dust (a drug also known as MDPV or Methylenedioxypyrovalerone) and became homeless.
He is now drug-free for more than a year, Mr Holt said, adding: “He is proud of the fact he has been able to sort himself out and now he is in a position where he could lose everything again.
“Feelings were high because of things that had been seen and said in the media, and everyone wanted to have their say, and this simply wasn’t the way to go about it.”
Judge Sally Hancox commended each of the defendants, who all have previous convictions, for entering guilty pleas to the charges they face.
She said: “On August 3, the city of Stoke was the location for unlawful disorder, at a time when the city centre would have been busy with people going about their lawful business.
“Weapons were brandished, missiles were thrown and a number of people were injured. The police were simply trying to do their job to protect all civilians.
“Officers placed themselves in harm’s way to keep the community safe.”
Jailing Watkins for 36 months for violent disorder, Judge Hancox acknowledged that letters of support painted a different side of his character, telling him: “It is my sincere hope that this is the James Watkins that emerges from prison in the future.”
Judge Hancox said the charity and community work Townley had done showed there was “good in you”, as she ordered him to serve 34 months for violent disorder, with an eight-month sentence for assaulting an emergency worker, to run concurrently.
Morris was imprisoned for 30 months for violent disorder by the judge, who said letters in support of him made it clear he was “somebody who is well thought of and is a good family man”, adding: “This other side to you makes what you involved yourself in all the sadder.”
Grocott was jailed for 32 months for violent disorder, as Judge Hancox acknowledged his “genuine remorse” at his involvement in the protest.
Hollinshead was given a sentence of 22 months for affray for his part in the disorder, as well as a 14-month sentence for his involvement in the burglary of an 87-year-old man’s house in July.
