By Amos Ssemuwemba and Teddy Namayanja
Two men, both residents of Merseyside in North West England, have each been sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison for violent disorder that saw riots spread across the city for a week.
According to Justice Andrew Menary KC, the footage presented by the prosecutor clearly showed that the convicts participated willingly in the planned protests, which had a serious impact, including damage and loss of property for the residents of the community. He said, “John Emmaly, the footage presented to me clearly showed your involvement in the disorder and direct attacks, including throwing stones and missiles at the police officers who were deployed to restore order. You were at the front and participating enthusiastically.”
He turned to William Nelson Morgan, 69, and said, “Not even your age could stop you from getting involved in the riots. You were among hundreds of people who set dustbins and other things on fire, which spoiled a library and a hotel, among other things, in the area. You were also involved in confronting the police officers; you had a small truncheon, and it took three police officers to restrain you.”
Nelson will serve 6 months for possessing an offensive weapon after joining the riots. Both sentences will run concurrently.
Earlier, the two had both pleaded guilty to the charges following their arrest, which helped reduce their sentences. This is not the first time these two have been convicted; they both have criminal records, including assault, among other offenses.
On the 29th of July, 2024, a group of angry anti-immigration rioters took to the streets of Merseyside, Liverpool, protesting against the government’s immigration system, which has seen hundreds of refugees seek asylum in the UK in recent years.
In recent news reports, CNN highlighted that asylum seekers first came to the Inn Express Hotel, which was burned down during the riots in 2021, after the chaotic US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The reports also indicate that immigration has long been an explosive issue in UK politics, but in recent years, the number of arrivals on England’s southern coast has reached record levels despite the previous Conservative government’s pledge to stop boats through policies such as its ill-fated plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The two men are the first people to be sentenced since the riots broke out on Monday, July 29, 2024, following the death of the three young girls—Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9—who were killed in the stabbing attack.
UK police reports indicate that eight other children suffered stab wounds in the attack, and five of them are in critical condition. Two adults also remain in critical condition after being injured in the same attack.
