Doncaster chicken catcher is jailed for two years and eight months for violent disorder at a hotel housing asylum seekers
A 27-year-old Donaster man, who involved himself in four separate parts of the recent disorder outside the Rotherham hotel housing asylum seekers, ‘endeavoured to camouflage his identity’ and prevent justice from being done, a Sheffield judge has said.
Shefffield Crown Court yesterday heard how Lewis Merritt, who was dressed all in light blue, wore a balaclava for much of his involvement in the Rotherham riots, but was still identified by police.
“You were masked. That was an endeavour to camouflage your identity so police would not be able to arrest you and bring you to justice in this court,” Judge Richardson said.
Prosecutor, Joseph Bell, said Merritt’s criminal behaviour began when he ‘grabbed hold’ of a police officer who was already on the ground, after being knocked down by others.
Merritt denied being one of the individuals to knock her to the ground when he entered a guilty plea to the offence of assault of an emergency worker during a Sheffield Magistrates’ Court hearing on August 16.
He also entered a guilty plea to a second offence of violent disorder during the same hearing.
The second part of Merritt’s involvement, while he was still masked, related to what Judge Richardson described as an ‘attack’ upon a police dog van as it attempted to escape the disorder.
“You were part of a group throwing missiles at police officers who were trying to keep law and order,” Judge Richardson said, detailing the third part of Merritt’s involvement.
He continued: “When the hotel was eventually breached, windows were smashed, individuals go inside. You were well to the fore…it was a terrifying episode, it was a racist episode, it was truly shocking from first to last.”
Mr Bell told the court that Merritt, of Victoria Road, Balby, Doncaster, has 24 offences from 13 convictions on his record - the majority of which are for driving matters, including dangerous driving and was on licence from a 25-month sentence for the offence of burglary when he participated in the Rotherham disorder.
Defending, Dermot Hughes said there was no ‘getting away’ from the seriousness of Merritt’s offending, adding that Merritt is ‘ashamed of himself’.
Mr Hughes said that prior to the disorder, Merritt had found work as a ‘chicken catcher of all things,’ and while Merritt knows he must stay where he is in custody, the work has been gained through a personal connection and he is ‘hopeful’ he may be able to return to it when he is released from custody.
Judge Richardson sentenced Merritt to two years, eight months in custody, and made him the subject of a 10-year community order.
“You were one of those well to the fore in those four separate incidents that afternoon…it was shameful, it was disgusting and it must be punished,” Judge Richardson told Merritt.
During the course of yesterday’s proceedings, the judge described the incident, during which 51 police officers, three police dogs and one police horse were injured, as being ‘racist from first to last’.
Judge Richardson also said he believes the incident is likely to have ‘historic notoriety,’ not just in the minds of those living in South Yorkshire, but across the country too.