More than 500 people have been sentenced in the past 12 months for offences connected to the disorder that erupted across England following the knife attack by Axel Rudakubana at a Southport dance studio on July 29 2024. Three girls died in the attack that sparked widespread unrest in the days that followed.
The PA news agency tracked 544 individuals from charging through to conviction and sentencing to provide a comprehensive picture of how the criminal justice system dealt with those who participated in the disturbances. The offences occurred in the days following the Southport attack, including major outbreaks of violence in Southport itself on July 30, Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent on August 3, and in Rotherham and Tamworth on August 4.
Most sentences in Rotherham
Rotherham saw the highest number of people sentenced for disorder-related offences, with 84 individuals convicted. Southport followed with 73 people sentenced, then Bristol with 41, Liverpool with 37, and Hull with 34.
Manchester recorded 32 sentences, Middlesbrough 28, Plymouth 22, and Stoke-on-Trent 19. The figures reflect the scale of unrest that spread across multiple English cities in early August 2024.
Ages range from 12 to 81
The oldest person sentenced was Keith Edwards, 81, of Nottingham, who received a 28-day jail sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to assault by beating during unrest on August 3. He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
The oldest person to receive an immediate prison sentence was William Morgan, 69, of Walton in Merseyside, who was jailed for two years and eight months for violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon during unrest in Liverpool. The youngest offender was a 12-year-old boy who threw stones at police after rioting erupted outside a mosque in Southport on July 30.
More than half under 30
Some 101 of the 544 people sentenced are under 21, representing 19 per cent of the total, including 43 under the age of 18. A further 68 people, or 13 per cent, are aged 21 to 24, while 83 people, or 15 per cent, are aged 25 to 29.
This means 54 per cent of those sentenced are under the age of 30. Some 166 people, just under a third of the total at 31 per cent, are aged 30 to 39, while 79 people are aged 40 to 49, 32 are aged 50 to 59, and 15 are 60 and over.
Most receive immediate custody
A total of 473 of the 544 people received immediate custodial sentences, including six under-18s. Of the remaining 71, 23 received suspended jail sentences and 35, all aged under 18, received referral orders.
Five people received community orders, four were fined, two were referred to a youth offender panel, one received a behaviour order, and one was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work. The average length of jail sentences given to offenders is 26 months.
Longest sentences for hotel attack
The longest jail sentences were given to people who besieged a Holiday Inn Express housing more than 200 asylum seekers in Manvers near Rotherham on August 4. Two people received nine-year sentences for their roles in the attack.
Thomas Birley, 27, of Swinton in South Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. Levi Fishlock, 31, of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life.
Eight-year terms for hotel mob
Two other people involved in the Holiday Inn attack received eight-year jail sentences. Arron Bailey, 28, of Darfield in Barnsley, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life after helping fuel the fire outside the hotel.
Morgan Heeley, 26, also of Darfield in Barnsley, pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life and violent disorder. Mason Lowe, 28, of Bolton-upon-Dearne in South Yorkshire, was given a seven-and-a-half year jail sentence for his involvement in the Holiday Inn mob.
Social media misinformation punished
Andrew McIntyre, 39, of Rufford near Ormskirk in Lancashire, received the same seven-and-a-half year sentence for encouraging violent disorder and criminal damage and possession of a knife. His actions involved spreading misinformation on social media that encouraged violence in the immediate aftermath of the July 29 attacks.
The shortest jail sentence was four weeks, given to Shane Dennis, 30, of Knowle in Bristol, who pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence. Jake Grainger-Quinn, 29, received seven weeks for a public order offence in Whitehall on July 31.
Police forces handle hundreds
Four police forces together account for more than half of the 544 people sentenced. Merseyside dealt with 112 people, representing 21 per cent of the total, followed by South Yorkshire with 87 people or 16 per cent.
Cleveland handled 46 cases or eight per cent, while Greater Manchester Police dealt with 45 cases, also eight per cent. Avon & Somerset processed 42 cases, Humberside 34, Staffordshire 33, and Devon & Cornwall 22.
Violent disorder most common charge
The most common offence for which people have been sentenced is violent disorder. Some 442 of the 544 people sentenced were found guilty of violent disorder, either by itself or in combination with other offences.
Other offences that led to jail sentences include assaulting emergency workers, possession of a knife or sharp object in a public place, publishing written material to stir up racial hatred, riot, and causing racially aggravated intentional harassment. The comprehensive tracking reveals the extensive legal response to the summer 2024 disorder.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
