A couple who clashed with police during a riot in Hartlepool – which saw one of them getting bitten on the bum by a dog – have been jailed.
Steven Mailen, 54, and Ryan Sheers, 29, were spotted ‘at the very forefront of the mob’ on Murray Street, which had gathered to target the homes used by asylum seekers.
Follow our live blog for all the latest updates from the far-right riots
The pair had returned home from an afternoon bingo game where they continued to drink alcohol, and stumbled on the unrest on the way to the shop to buy more.
Teesside Crown Court heard that Mailen was ‘one of the main instigators’ at the riot.
Prosecutor Rachel Masters said he ‘taunted’ police and appeared to be ‘inciting the gathered crowd to use violence towards them’.
He was seen ‘gesticulating’ towards a police officer and ‘shouting abuse at him’ until he was struck on the leg by an officer’s extendable baton.
Meanwhile, Sheers, who one officer described as ‘particularly violent’ was bitten by a police dog ‘in the right hip/buttock area’.
Footage shows him shouting every officers’ favourite trope ‘I pay your wages’. He then tells a handler ‘get your dog a drink’ before the German Shepherd launches at him, pulling down his shorts.
Ms Masters said Mailen made an attempt to grab the dog or handler and when an officer tried to detain him, he grabbed his radio and tucked it under his arm.
He was struck again with a baton, but in turn he kicked the officer in the shins numerous times.
The court heard Mailen continued to lash out as he was being arrested and it took three officers to get his arms behind his back and get the handcuffs on.
Both Mailen and Sheers attempted to push through a police cordon, it was said.
Nigel Soppitt, defending both men, said their behaviour was an ‘isolated activity’ and they had expressed remorse.
The court heard Mailen is a former postmaster and school governor who, in the past, has ‘called out prejudice of all kinds’.
After watching bodyworn camera footage of the incident, Judge Francis Laird KC told them: ‘Your behaviour and the behaviour of others around you was truly disgraceful.’
He said: ‘There was large scale damage to property and members of the public have been forced to endure the devastation and chaos caused to their community.
‘The public are rightly outraged by this behaviour on the streets of this country.’
Both admitted violent disorder and were each jailed for two years two months.
Three more people are due to be sentenced over the Hartlepool disorder at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
