Two members of ‘baying mob’ that forced Romanian men from car in Hull jailed

Two members of a “baying mob” that forced three Romanian men from their car – including one who went on to loot cosmetics chain Lush while wearing a distinctive England flag shirt – have been jailed over riots in Hull .

A court heard the driver of a BMW was left in fear for his life when more than 100 “angry” men descended on him and his two cousins and attempted to drag them from their vehicle during 12 hours of “racist, hate-fuelled mob violence” in the city on August 3.

The man said he was punched in the head, and one person tried to hit him with a metal bar.

In footage of the incident, the three “terrified” occupants of the car could be seen getting out with their hands raised in a gesture of surrender before fleeing to a nearby hotel, the court heard.

John Honey, 25, pulled the passenger door open as the man inside tried to close it to protect himself, while David Wilkinson, 48, was seen damaging the windscreen of the car, which was left with £1,500 of damage.

On Friday, Honey was jailed for 56 months after pleading guilty to violent disorder and three charges of burglary at Lush, the O2 store and Shoezone.

He also admitted racially aggravated criminal damage over the BMW incident, and to damaging nine other cars during an attack on a garage.

A sentencing hearing earlier in the week was adjourned after a prison probation officer said Honey had asked him “if he wanted his autograph because he was famous”, which could have undermined Honey’s claim of being “genuinely remorseful”.

But after hearing that Honey had developmental issues due to his “difficult start in life”, the judge said his alleged comment “does not have the significance it would otherwise have”.

Judge John Thackray KC told Honey: “I’m not going to hear any evidence about comments which you may or may not have made in the prison setting. I’m not going to give them any relevance. If your defence say that there is now genuine remorse, I’ll accept that submission.”

At a previous hearing, the court was played footage of Honey looting soap store Lush, where he could be seen taking one of its branded bags and walking around the shop filling it with products.

A victim impact statement from the manager of the Lush store said the incident had “massively impacted” the staff, some of whom “cannot bring themselves to come back to the store as they are frightened it will happen again”.

Wilkinson was jailed for six years for violent disorder, attempted arson and racially aggravated criminal damage after playing a “prominent role” in the riots.

The court heard at various points during the day Wilkinson spat, threw missiles and pushed wheelie bins at a police line. He appeared to be holding nunchucks at one point, it was said.

During the attack on the garage Honey also took part in, Wilkinson was seen trying to set fire to a bin on top of a pile of tyres which were already alight, sending plumes of black smoke through the shutters of the workshop, where a group of people were sheltering.

Four men who took part in a barrage of verbal and physical abuse towards police during the riots were also locked up at the same court.

Steven Love, 41, who hurled an empty bin at a protective line of officers, was sentenced to 40 months in prison as a judge told him he was “lucky not to be charged with riot” due to his central role in the disorder.

HGV driver and “family man” John Nunan, 36, was jailed for two years for “aggressively” confronting police, throwing missiles including a glass bottle, and helping push a wheelie bin at officers.

Travis Whitelock, 23, was jailed for two years after also playing a “prominent role” that included pushing a street litter bin onto a burning pile of rubbish and shoving a large wheelie bin at police.

Corey Holloway, 20, was jailed for 18 months after throwing a traffic cone at police and behaving in a “violent and aggressive manner”.

The four men pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

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