Role in Manvers hotel riot 'ruined my life'
A rioter who helped fuel a fire outside a hotel housing asylum seekers believed his actions that day had "ruined" his life, a court has heard.Arron Bailey, 28, also sprayed a fire extinguisher at police, pushed a shopping trolley at officers and threw a rock at a police van at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August.At Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, Bailey, who had pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life, was jailed for eight years with an extended licence period of three years.Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty at Sheffield Youth Court on Wednesday to violent disorder during the riot.
Before Bailey's sentencing, Sheffield Crown Court heard that the father-of-two with no previous convictions was seen "to the fore of many of the various pockets of disorder" on the day of the riot.He was seen wearing a camouflage balaclava in much of the footage taken at the scene.Clips played in court showed the former construction worker adding large planks and cardboard boxes to a bin that had been set on fire outside the doors of the hotel.A judge heard Bailey was part of a group chanting "Yorkshire, Yorkshire" as they descended on a police van, and he was seen arming himself with a large rock and throwing it at the vehicle.Bailey was also seen commandeering a shopping trolley from a nearby Aldi supermarket and pushing it at the police line.
'Family man'
In the footage shown to the court, he was seen at one point spraying a fire extinguisher at the police line, forcing officers to retreat, before he threw the empty device at officers.In mitigation, the court heard Bailey had struggled to get work after the Covid lockdown, and had told a probation officer he had "ruined his life through this one day".A judge heard 14 references for Bailey had been submitted by family members and friends who "struggle to come to terms with exactly what he has done".The court heard that before the day of the riot, he was "essentially a family man who had a good relationship with family and friends".The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said that despite the number of rioters he had now sentenced, "it never ceases to amaze me that young men such as yourself have, in consequence of what they did that day, ruined their lives and ruined the lives of their families".
'Have a nosy'
At Sheffield Youth Court on Wednesday, a teenage boy pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Manvers on 4 August.District Judge Tim Spruce was told the 17-year-old was seen breaking up a slab of concrete to then throw at police, while on another occasion he was seen pulling off fence panels from residential properties which he then used to throw at officers.Kaidee Brown, representing the boy, said he had gone to the protest with friends because they were "intrigued" by social media posts and wanted to "have a nosy".She said the boy, who was 16 at the time, did not go with the intention of using violence or causing distress, but when he arrived at the scene, he went "along with everyone else".Ms Brown said the teen described himself as "a class clown" who held police in high regard and did not have any racist views.Judge Spruce told the boy he would be sentenced at the same court on 26 March.Additional reporting by PA MediaListen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
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2 hours ago
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The defendant was found asleep on a garden bench later that morning when he was taken to hospital for injuries to his hand, and was arrested. A camouflage suit found after the attack (Nottinghamshire Police/PA) In a victim impact statement read to the court by Ms Ayling, Mr Perks said the incident had been an 'unimaginable catastrophe' for him and his family. He said: 'This has been a nightmare for my wife and son who must have wondered if I was going to survive. 'This has been beyond every struggle in our lives so far.' He added: 'I have no ill-feelings, hatred or bitterness towards my ex-colleague and derive no satisfaction from the guilty conviction. 'It is just another interesting chapter in life, and I wish his family well. 'I remain eternally grateful that it was me, not Bev or Henry who were stabbed, and reflect how ironic that a burns surgeon should wish to immolate our family.' Henry Perks, Mr Perks's son, described Brooks as a 'highly dangerous and remorseless individual' and 'nothing more than a bully', adding: 'He simply has no morals, sees no wrong in his actions and will stop at nothing to hurt those he perceives to have wronged him. 'I have no doubt his failure to silence my father will consume his mind and make him dangerous in the years after his release.' Ms Ayling said Brooks was 'manipulative' and had shown no remorse for what he had done. She said: 'He believes himself to be not guilty of the offences. He believes he has been unlawfully tried. 'He has a history of being manipulative.' Mitigating, Mr Leslie said it was a 'single act of violence' and that there was no pre-planning beyond the day of the attack. He said Brooks had petrol in his garage because he was a motorbike enthusiast and that he is 'beginning to show remorse' for what he had done. He told the court: 'He has done a lot of good in the world for many people. He should be provided with a chance to reform himself. There is still good in him. 'He is now 61, he must have the opportunity of coming out in his lifetime to return to society and be given the opportunity to carry out the good work he has demonstrated.' Matches and a lighter were also found in Peter Brooks's bike pannier (Nottinghamshire Police/PA) Mr Justice Pepperall said Brooks must serve a minimum of 22 years, with time spent in prison already taking that to 17 years and 223 days, for the two counts of attempted murder. A sentence of six years for arson and 18 months for possessing a knife are to run concurrently. The judge said Brooks, who specialised in treating burns, would have known the significant damage setting a fire would have caused, as well as how badly Mr Perks would have been injured when he stabbed him. He said: 'You must have had substantial professional experience of treating those who have suffered appalling and painful burns, and yet you attempted to set a fire in the middle of the night, intending to kill your former colleague and to endanger the lives of any other occupants as they lay sleeping in their beds. 'Further, you were a trained surgeon, and yet you plunged a knife into your colleague's body, passing through his liver, his pancreas, his duodenum and his inferior vena cava with the same murderous intent.' He said Brooks was 'fixated' on employment difficulties he was facing and blamed Mr Perks for his troubles. He said: 'Your key demand in negotiations to resolve your employment issues was that Mr Perks should be required to leave the (hospital) trust. 'Upon that evidence and your extreme actions on the night of January 14 2021, I am sure that your simmering sense of grievance towards Mr Perks developed into deep anger.' He added: 'There is evidence that your life was falling apart in January 2021. Your employment difficulties were coming to a head and you anticipated that the disciplinary hearing that opened earlier that week was likely to lead to your dismissal, the loss of your home and the breakdown of your marriage. 'While not mentally ill, you were under very significant pressure. In my judgement, your anger at the perceived injustice and hopelessness of your situation led to this explosion of very serious violence.' Mr Justice Pepperall said he could not be sure whether Brooks had spent more than a few hours before breaking into Mr Perks's house planning the 'murderous expedition' and despite Brooks's claims he had acted in self-defence when confronted by Mr Perks, the judge said he was sure that the defendant was the 'sole aggressor'. He also said he could not detect any remorse for what he had done, adding: 'But rather, a fixed view that you were hounded out of your employment by what you describe as the 'medical mafia' and self-pity at the situation in which you now find yourself.' In a statement after Brooks was sentenced, Sam Shallow from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Peter Brooks committed an act of extreme violence, attempting to murder a highly respected colleague. 'This was a planned, calculated attack, in which Brooks showed he was determined to kill his former colleague. 'Since committing these atrocious acts, Brooks has sought to evade responsibility. He has requested late adjournments, dispensed with his legal team, and used his health to avoid proper progress of the court proceedings. 'On each of the nine occasions the case has been listed at court, the prosecution team has been ready. 'Justice has now caught up with Brooks. 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Powys County Times
2 hours ago
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Stephen Leslie KC, defending, said Brooks had said he was too unwell to make the journey to court and instead listened to proceedings via video link from HMP Norwich. Mr Justice Pepperall previously told the court that on 'no fewer than eight occasions' since 2021 Brooks, formerly of Landseer Road, Southwell, had 'used hunger strikes or the threat of some other self-harm to achieve some advantage'. Brooks's convictions followed a four-year series of legal hearings, including a mistrial and seven other aborted trial dates. The consultant, specialising in burns and plastics, was convicted in April of two counts of attempted murder, one for the intended use of fire and the other for the stabbing, attempted arson with intent to endanger life, and possession of a knife in a public place. The trial was told Brooks had cycled in the snow to Mr Perks's home during a Covid lockdown wearing camouflage gear and armed with a crowbar, petrol, matches and a knife. Mr Perks, a consultant plastic surgeon, had provided evidence in disciplinary proceedings against Brooks, who faced potentially losing his job with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the jury heard. When opening the prosecution's case, Tracy Ayling KC had told the trial it was 'clear that the defendant hated Graeme Perks' and wanted him 'out of the way'. Mr Perks, who was 65 at the time, had retired the month before the attack but suffered 'extremely life-threatening' injuries to his liver, intestines and pancreas, and was given a 95% chance of death. The victim woke up when Brooks smashed through his conservatory, and went downstairs where his feet 'felt a bit damp' from the petrol before he felt a 'blow to his body'. The court was told Brooks had also thrown petrol up the stair walls while Mr Perks's wife Bev and youngest son Henry were sleeping upstairs. The defendant was found asleep on a garden bench later that morning when he was taken to hospital for injuries to his hand, and was arrested. In a victim impact statement read to the court by Ms Ayling, Mr Perks said the incident had been an 'unimaginable catastrophe' for him and his family. He said: 'This has been a nightmare for my wife and son who must have wondered if I was going to survive. 'This has been beyond every struggle in our lives so far.' He added: 'I have no ill-feelings, hatred or bitterness towards my ex-colleague and derive no satisfaction from the guilty conviction. 'It is just another interesting chapter in life, and I wish his family well. 'I remain eternally grateful that it was me, not Bev or Henry who were stabbed, and reflect how ironic that a burns surgeon should wish to immolate our family.' Henry Perks, Mr Perks's son, described Brooks as a 'highly dangerous and remorseless individual' and 'nothing more than a bully', adding: 'He simply has no morals, sees no wrong in his actions and will stop at nothing to hurt those he perceives to have wronged him. 'I have no doubt his failure to silence my father will consume his mind and make him dangerous in the years after his release.' Ms Ayling said Brooks was 'manipulative' and had shown no remorse for what he had done. She said: 'He believes himself to be not guilty of the offences. He believes he has been unlawfully tried. 'He has a history of being manipulative.' Mitigating, Mr Leslie said it was a 'single act of violence' and that there was no pre-planning beyond the day of the attack. He said Brooks had petrol in his garage because he was a motorbike enthusiast and that he is 'beginning to show remorse' for what he had done. He told the court: 'He has done a lot of good in the world for many people. He should be provided with a chance to reform himself. There is still good in him. 'He is now 61, he must have the opportunity of coming out in his lifetime to return to society and be given the opportunity to carry out the good work he has demonstrated.' Mr Justice Pepperall said Brooks must serve a minimum of 22 years, with time spent in prison already taking that to 17 years and 223 days, for the two counts of attempted murder. A sentence of six years for arson and 18 months for possessing a knife are to run concurrently. The judge said Brooks, who specialised in treating burns, would have known the significant damage setting a fire would have caused, as well as how badly Mr Perks would have been injured when he stabbed him. He said: 'You must have had substantial professional experience of treating those who have suffered appalling and painful burns, and yet you attempted to set a fire in the middle of the night, intending to kill your former colleague and to endanger the lives of any other occupants as they lay sleeping in their beds. 'Further, you were a trained surgeon, and yet you plunged a knife into your colleague's body, passing through his liver, his pancreas, his duodenum and his inferior vena cava with the same murderous intent.' He said Brooks was 'fixated' on employment difficulties he was facing and blamed Mr Perks for his troubles. He said: 'Your key demand in negotiations to resolve your employment issues was that Mr Perks should be required to leave the (hospital) trust. 'Upon that evidence and your extreme actions on the night of January 14 2021, I am sure that your simmering sense of grievance towards Mr Perks developed into deep anger.' He added: 'There is evidence that your life was falling apart in January 2021. Your employment difficulties were coming to a head and you anticipated that the disciplinary hearing that opened earlier that week was likely to lead to your dismissal, the loss of your home and the breakdown of your marriage. 'While not mentally ill, you were under very significant pressure. In my judgement, your anger at the perceived injustice and hopelessness of your situation led to this explosion of very serious violence.' Mr Justice Pepperall said he could not be sure whether Brooks had spent more than a few hours before breaking into Mr Perks's house planning the 'murderous expedition' and despite Brooks's claims he had acted in self-defence when confronted by Mr Perks, the judge said he was sure that the defendant was the 'sole aggressor'. He also said he could not detect any remorse for what he had done, adding: 'But rather, a fixed view that you were hounded out of your employment by what you describe as the 'medical mafia' and self-pity at the situation in which you now find yourself.' In a statement after Brooks was sentenced, Sam Shallow from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Peter Brooks committed an act of extreme violence, attempting to murder a highly respected colleague. 'This was a planned, calculated attack, in which Brooks showed he was determined to kill his former colleague. 'Since committing these atrocious acts, Brooks has sought to evade responsibility. He has requested late adjournments, dispensed with his legal team, and used his health to avoid proper progress of the court proceedings. 'On each of the nine occasions the case has been listed at court, the prosecution team has been ready. 'Justice has now caught up with Brooks. 'His victim was fortunate to escape with his life and his whole family were in danger from Brooks's inexplicable actions. 'Despite the physical and emotional trauma they have endured, they have come to court to tell their story on two separate occasions. 'This has been a long process for them, but I hope that finally seeing these proceedings coming to a close will help them in their recovery from this ordeal.'
