Masked arsonist who stoked fire at migrant hotel handed longest sentence yet in UK riots
6 September 2024, 12:57 | Updated: 6 September 2024, 14:52
A man who set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers has been handed the longest jail term yet as part of the sentencing of UK rioters.
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Thomas Birley was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday for taking part in a riot in Rotherham on 4 August.
The sentence is the longest prison stretch so far to be handed out by a judge in the wake of widespread violence which broke out in the wake of the Stockport attacks on July 29.
Birley, 27, a painter from Swinton, Rotherham, had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder, as well as possessing an offensive weapon.
He formed part of a group which helped smash in windows at a Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, before setting fire to the building and adding wood to stoke the flames.
The group - including Birley - were seen to place the wood against the building, as riot officers lined the streets outside the hotel in a bit to keep rioters at bay.
Sheffield Crown Court heard how Birley called the police "f****** nonce protectors" during the violence.
Appearing in front of the judge, Birley was handed a nine years with five years on licence as part of a 14-year extended sentence.
The incident saw masked rioters smash the windows of the Holiday Inn Express in South Yorkshire, with the group destroying the downstairs communal area.
Footage of Thomas Birley after he is sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court
More than 50 police officers were injured during the unrest, sentencing Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told the court.
Read more: Man jailed for 9 years for setting fire to asylum seekers' hotel in UK anti-Muslim riots
During sentencing, the judge noted it was "clear as clear can be" that Birley was "intent on spreading a hateful message of violence and racism".
"It appears you hold views that are anti-empathetic to those seeking refuge in the UK," the judge added.
"You said you went to the hotel to voice your opinion. You were encouraged to do what you did because of posts on social media.
"You knew you were going to participate in racist mob violence - you took a scarf on a warm day to cover your face."
During sentencing, the court was told that by 12:30pm, crowds at the hotel had swarmed to around 400 people.
The Rotherham riot was one of countless pockets of unrest across the country which began in the wake of the Southport attack on a Taylor Swift dance class.
The attack saw a knifeman enter the community centre on Hart Street, Southport, armed with a kitchen knife, before attacking children and adults involved in the dance class.
17-year-old Axel Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder following the attack.
Painter gets longest summer riots sentence so far as he is jailed for nine years
During sentencing, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC spoke of how Birley was involved in a "persistent and widespread act of violence on people and property".
He described how the violence had lasted more than 12 hours, describing how the offended had also chanted "Yorkshire" during the disorder.
In his defence, Birley's lawyers said the rioter isolated himself because of his ADHD, that he was merely an "enthusiastic contributor" and added he had a difficult start to life.
Expanding on the incident, the judge also quoted police in highlighting the financial impact from the unrest - describing how the hotel damage was estimated to be in the region of £1million.
The impact of the violence could be felt beyond the hotel, with one resident said "she's been scared to leave her home since".
