Simon Orr (Image: Staffordshire Police)

Holiday Inn Express Tamworth trouble as first person is jailed for rioting in West Midlands

Simon Orr, 38, was jailed for six years and 17 weeks for his part in the disorder outside the hotel

by · Birmingham Live

A man has become the first person sentenced in the West Midlands for riot following the widespread summer unrest across the UK. Simon Orr was jailed for six years and 17 weeks today, Thursday, October 17 for his part in trouble as the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth was targeted.

The 38-year-old, of Grazier Avenue, Tamworth, pleaded guilty to riot and assaulting an emergency worker following a hearing last month. It emerged that Orr had sent a WhatsApp message to encourage people to turn up on Sunday, August 4.

A 'protest' about asylum seekers housed at the Holiday Inn Express took place with petrol bombs and fireworks thrown at police officers. Orr was arrested days later and questioned in custody.

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He originally denied his involvement in his interview, saying the protest was peaceful. But Staffordshire Police secured evidence to charge him for violent disorder and later consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service over upgrading the offence to riot – unlawful violence – public order, the most serious of the Public Order Act 1986.

The scene the morning after a destructive night before at the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth where rioters attacked a hotel housing asylum seekers

Orr was also sentenced for breaching a suspended sentence for assault which he was subject to when he committed the offences. Speaking after the case, Adam Till, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This sentence reflects the seriousness of Simon Orr's actions and sends a clear message that unlawful violence which endangers public safety will not be tolerated.

"The Crown Prosecution Service is continuing to work closely with Staffordshire Police to ensure those responsible for the disorder are brought to justice. Our priority is to protect the public from violence and ensure that those who engage in such acts are brought to justice to face the full consequences of the law.”

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