and othersIn the early afternoon on Sunday, a homeless mother of five left her hotel room in Middlesbrough to head to a nearby shop. On the way, Stacey Vint, 34, bumped into a local resident she knew and they joined her in the road into the town centre at what was being described on social media as a “pro-British” protest.
Five days later, she found herself Sentenced to 20 months in prison He was convicted of rioting after taking part in a 1,000-strong riot in which police were attacked and homes, cars and public buildings were damaged.
Lawyer for Vint, who had been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis on the day, told Teesside Crown Court her involvement was “simple”.
“A member of the group she was with asked her to help clear away a bin that was on fire so she did,” Andrew Turton said. “She foolishly grabbed the bin and pushed it towards the police, falling at their feet.”
A 10-second video of the incident, which has already gone viral amid mockery on social media, shows Vint and an unidentified man pushing the burning bin towards a line of officers before it goes out of control and Vint is dragged to the ground.
Sentencing Vint at Teesside Crown Court, where the broken windows were still boarded up, Judge Frances Laird KC said the “massive public order disturbance” had caused significant physical and economic damage to her home town, traumatised police officers and terrified residents.
The judge found that Vint’s crimes were not racially or ideologically motivated, but that the scale and impact of the riots and “the backdrop of other violent incidents across the country” meant that the sentence needed to be increased.
The court heard that Vint’s life had been blighted by drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence, with all five of her children placed in care and her becoming homeless after fleeing an abusive relationship.
As Vint sat expressionless in the dock in a grey prison tracksuit, Mr Turton said she “expressed shame and remorse” and “understood the need for the court to impose a deterrent sentence”.
The sentences were handed down with surprising speed in courts across England and Wales on Friday. Vint is one of more than 300 people charged so far for offences related to the violent protests and riots that erupted after the murder of three girls in Southport on July 29. Initially fuelled by false online claims that the perpetrators were Muslim small-boat migrants, far-right influencers and conspiracy theorists called on people to take to the streets, expanding planned protests in dozens of towns and cities.
Though the false report was denied within a day, the protests, promoted on multiple social media platforms with vague slogans such as “enough is enough,” “save our children” and “protect our country,” became a means to stoke broader anti-Muslim, racist and xenophobic anger.
But there was little exploration of the rioters’ motives at Teesside Crown Court on Friday. Proof of an attacker’s state of mind is not required to prove a riot offence, nor are other common charges against rioters, such as assault or criminal damage.
Sentenced alongside Vint was 21-year-old Charlie Bullock, who covered his face with a balaclava and threw stones at police during the Middlesbrough riots. He fought police as they tried to arrest him and said “I don’t care” when he was finally detained. He was jailed for 18 months but his sentence was reduced due to evidence that his young age and failure to take his ADHD medication may have influenced his behaviour.
Like Vint, he refused to answer any questions during police interview and pleaded guilty to the riot without testifying in court, but it was found not to have been racially or ideologically motivated.
When the time came to sentence the third rioter who hurled bricks at police in Darlington on Monday, August 5, the matter was not going to be so easily resolved.
Cole Stewart, 18, admitted firing a missile at police officers who were keeping protesters away from the mosque, but claimed he targeted a police vehicle and that he had no racist or far-right ideology. “He came across the protests while drunk and joined because everyone else was doing it,” defence lawyer Gary Wood said. But the prosecution told the court the crime was a “racially motivated attack” and the boy’s sentence should be increased accordingly. Judge Laird said there would be a “points hearing” if no agreement could be reached.
The trial of two other rioters, due to be sentenced last Friday, has also been postponed, including a man who was “mistakenly” transferred to Newcastle from Darlington prison instead of Middlesbrough, and another prisoner who refused to leave his cell.
After newsletter promotion
As director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer oversaw the controversial operation of 24-hour courts and extended sentences for more than 2,000 adults and children convicted for the 2011 riots, and has promised “swift justice” for those involved in the unrest.
Legal experts are urging the current government to learn lessons from its response and not repeat the mistakes of the Conservative government, who failed to thoroughly investigate the causes of the mess.
Tim Newburn, professor of criminology at the London School of Economics, said “procedural speed” and punishment had taken priority over a detailed assessment of how and why the 2011 riots unfolded.
“The danger in all of these cases is that a simple explanation is sought and allowed to dominate,” he added. “The facts emerging in court may be more complicated than the political or popular narrative. To fail to investigate is to miss an opportunity to mitigate future problems.”
Dr Hannah Quirke, lecturer in criminal law at King’s College London, said history showed “people like to riot… some have very sinister motives and some are simply weak and get caught up in it”.
She said the latest unrest was much smaller in scale than the 2011 incident but similarly “localised” and exacerbated by allegations of a racist police response.
Tom Brooks, professor of law and politics at Durham University, said the “extraordinary” speed of sentencing had been made possible by a wave of guilty pleas, and that it may slow down as more complex cases come before the courts. “There has been a huge effort to bring cases to trial quickly, for the obvious reason of deterring people,” he added. “Police and prosecutors also appear to be running social media campaigns to name and stigmatise people.”
Minutes after Vint and Bullock were jailed on Friday, Cleveland Police published their mugshots on Facebook along with the news of their sentences. The post was met with a flurry of jokes, congratulatory comments and clapping emojis. Bullock’s mother, the only person to speak in his support at Teesside Crown Court, held her head in her hands during the sentence and then tried to speak to him as he was led away to his cells.
As she was helped out of the courtroom by her friends, staff were already preparing for Monday, when a new wave of rioters were due to storm the courtroom to hear their fate.
