Haulage boss jailed for violent disorder during Rotherham riot
A haulage company owner has been sentenced to prison for violent disorder during a riot outside a hotel accommodating asylum seekers in Rotherham.
Ricky Hardman, of Hardman Haulage, was photographed holding a piece of wood during the disturbances on Sunday, 4 August. He was also filmed among a group attacking a police dog van outside the Holiday Inn Express, which officers were attempting to safeguard.
The hotel, reportedly sheltering up to 200 asylum seekers, had its windows smashed during the chaos. Over 60 police officers were injured as various objects, including bricks and bottles, were hurled at them.
Hardman, who resides on Norfolk Road, Barnsley, appeared before Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 9 August, where he admitted to charges of violent disorder.
During a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, 12 August, the 41-year-old was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, according to the BBC.
The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, remarked to the defendant: “This incident was part of broader national unrest, driven by some form of societal malignancy and spread by malevolent social media users.
“There is no doubt the disorder had a racist element and was extremely frightening for those present.”
Riots erupted nationwide following the fatal stabbing of three girls at a dance class in Southport on 29 July. The UK experienced its worst unrest in over a decade, with violence in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland, fuelled by far-right misinformation online.
Hundreds of individuals involved in the riots have been arrested, and many have already been sentenced.
