Liverpool teen detained after snorting ketamine in front of police and …
Teenager, 19, who snorted ketamine in front of line of riot police and threw lit fireworks at officers during protest outside asylum seeker hotel is locked up for three years
- Jared Skeete, 19, took part in the disorder outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley
- He was filmed snorting drugs and calling police officers a 'gang of d***heads?
- Skete was sentenced at court today after pleading guilty to violent disorder
By Tom Cotterill For Mailonline[1]
Published: 16:01, 17 April 2023 | Updated: 16:09, 17 April 2023
A teenager who snorted ketamine before hurling a lit firework at riot police during a protest at an asylum seeker hotel has been locked up for three years.
Jared Skeete, 19, 'goaded' officers by 'deliberately' taking drugs before shouting abuse at them during the mayhem in Knowsley, Merseyside.
Body-worn video footage captured the chaos at the Suites Hotel on February 10[2], with Skeete being filmed standing next to a burnt-out police van launching numerous fireworks at police.
Skeete's defence lawyer said the yob had become 'caught up' in the 'mob mentality' of the night, which saw more than 100 protesters causing carnage.
On Monday at Liverpool Crown Court, Skeete was sentenced to three years' detention after pleading guilty to violent disorder.
A police van was set alight in Merseyside after protests outside a hotel housing asylum seekers turned violent.
Pictured are riot police in front of the blazing van
Police detained at least three people following the violent scenes outside the hotel - including Jared Skeete (pictured), who 'goaded' officers by 'deliberately' taking drugs before shouting and throwing fireworks at officers, a court heard
On Monday at Liverpool Crown Court, Skeete (pictured) was sentenced to three years' detention after pleading guilty to violent disorder.
Sentencing the bushy-haired teen Judge David Swinnerton said: 'The scenes overall were appalling and shameful.
'Your role in it, there at the forefront, very close to the police line, throwing fireworks to them, hurling abuse at them, seeking to remove a shield from an officer therefore exposing him to violence and injury, wrestling with him for his riot shield, all of that is despicable behaviour.
'Those scenes of what you did bring shame on you. They were shameful for the city... That is not who we are.
'You goaded the police, you sniffed from your bag of ketamine deliberately in front of them and you were, throughout, shouting abuse at them.'
Prosecutor Martyn Walsh said Skeete, from Aigburth, in Liverpool, shouted to police: 'Why are you protecting the scumbags, you big gang of d***heads?'.'
Skeete was also reported to have said to an officer: 'What are you going to do you silly little sausage?
Go and do something better lad, go and arrest them nonces.'
When arrested and interviewed Skeete denied being the person shown in the footage but then asked if he could have a copy of it for himself, describing it as 'like a movie' and 'brutal', the court heard.
In a statement, PC John Thompson, who was hit on his arm and foot by objects, said he had suffered bruising and swelling and the incident had caused stress to him and his family.
A police van was destroyed amid the riot outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley, with more than 100 protesters reportedly taking part in the carnage in February
The protests were sparked by misinformation which had been shared on social media, it has been clamed
Witnesses claim that police were showered with missiles amid the violent protests
Inspector Ian Murphy had suffered post concussion syndrome following the disorder, the court heard.
Mr Walsh said GBP83,684 worth of damage was caused to five police vehicles, including the van which was burnt-out.
Peter White, defending, said Skeete had been socialising with friends on February 10 when he been made aware of social media rumours which incorrectly accused a resident of the hotel of a serious offence.
He said: 'He is a young man aged 19 who allowed himself to be caught up in mob mentality and used this as an opportunity to act in a thoroughly unacceptable manner.'
He said Skeete was not part of any right-wing organisation and was not involved in planning the disorder.
He added: 'He was only there for the anarchy that resulted.'
Mr White said: 'He genuinely wishes to apologise for his actions.'
The prosecution did not continue with a charge of assaulting an emergency worker because it was incorporated into the violent disorder charge, the court was told.
Speaking after Skeete was sentenced, Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said: 'The appalling scenes of that evening were completely reprehensible and Skeete clearly played a role in the disorder. We welcome the sentencing today and hope that he spends his time in prison reflecting on his dangerous actions on that night.
Merseyside's Police & Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell condemned the 'shocking and concerning' violence outside the Suites Hotel
The incident happened outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley. Local MP Sir George Howarth said tensions had been inflamed by misinformation on social media
Protesters and counter protesters have clashed outside a Merseyside Hotel housing asylum seekers
'We will always respect the right to protest when these are peaceful, but the scenes outside the Suites Hotel were completely unacceptable, putting those present, our officers and the wider community in danger.
'I hope this sentencing makes it absolutely clear that anyone who plays a part in violent disorder on our streets will be brought before the courts, whatever their role may have been.'
As previously reported, the carnage was widely condemned by senior politicians and officials.
Knowsley MP Sir George Howarth said: 'The people of Knowsley are not bigots and are welcoming to people escaping from some of the most dangerous places in the world in search of a place of safety.
Those demonstrating against refugees at this protest tonight do not represent this community. We are not like that and overwhelmingly behave with sympathy and kindness to others regardless of where they come from.'
Merseyside's Police & Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell condemned the 'shocking and concerning' violence outside the Suites Hotel.
She said on Twitter: 'Deeply shocking and concerning scenes of violence in Knowsley this evening.
'Utterly unacceptable behaviour, putting officers & public in danger.
'I am monitoring the situation closely. There is absolutely no excuses for this.'
Clare Moseley, founder of refugee charity Care 4 Calais, said she was among 100 to 120 people from pro-migrant groups who went to the scene in reaction to the protest to show support for the asylum seekers.
She said the carnage was 'like a war zone'.
References
- ^ Tom Cotterill For Mailonline (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ footage captured the chaos at the Suites Hotel on February 10 (www.dailymail.co.uk)