Last Manvers rioter jailed two years after unrest

When Ashley Ivermee was jailed for 18 months on Tuesday, it drew to a close one of South Yorkshire Police's largest investigations in recent history.

Ivermee is one of 120 people who have been convicted for their role in the Manvers riot which saw a 400-strong crowd attack the Holiday Inn Express, which was housing asylum seekers, near Rotherham in August 2024.

Anti-immigration protesters clad in balaclavas or draped in St George's Cross flags hurled bricks, bottles, fence posts and planks of woods at police officers and the hotel.

Fires were set around the building - some near fire escapes - as protesters chanted "burn it down" and "Yorkshire, Yorkshire".

People living nearby had to flee their homes when rioters started fires and broke into their gardens. When it was all over, the damage was estimated at £1m.

In the court cases that followed, harrowing statements were read out, recounting how hotel employees stacked furniture and fridges against doors, barricading themselves against rioters who had smashed their way into the building.

"People inside thought they were going to die," one judge said.

The Manvers riot, described as one of the worst cases of civil disorder in the UK in recent history, was part of a wave of unrest across the UK in summer 2024, which broke out following the mass stabbings in Southport.

The perpetrator, who could not be named initially due to his age, had targeted a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six.

The unrest was fuelled by misinformation about the killer's identity and nationality as well as overall dissatisfaction about how the government was handling illegal immigration.

• Analysis: Laying down the law on riots

In South Yorkshire, 64 police officers were injured, many of whom are still dealing with the physical and psychological effects of that day.

Among the 120 people jailed in South Yorkshire - mostly men from Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham - were several youths as well asa handful of women.

The sentences varied, with some of the longest jail terms handed to Levi Fishlock and Matthew Crossland, who both helped stoke fires outside the hotel.

One, 61-year-old grandfather Peter Lynch from Wath-upon-Dearne, died in HMP Moorland in Doncaster two months after being jailed.

The sentences dished out to rioters were criticised as being too harsh by some, accusing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of a two-tier justice system.

Because of the sheer volume of court cases, justice chiefs almost had to shut down the country's magistrates' courts as prisons became overwhelmed.

Figures obtained by the Guardian showed that one out of every five people arrested after their participation in the 2024 summer riots had since been reported to the police for domestic abuse.

In Rotherham, 171 people were arrested, 40 of whom were later reported for domestic abuse, it said.

After nearly two years to the day and 100,000 hours of CCTV footage reviewed, South Yorkshire Police confirmed on Wednesday that it had officially closed the investigation.

Ch Supt Laura Koscikiewicz said the public played a vital role in bringing perpetrators of what was "a dark day for South Yorkshire" to justice.

"We are truly grateful for not only the messages of thanks and support in the immediate aftermath of the disorder, but the crucial role our communities played in the months of investigative work which followed," said Ch Supt Koscikiewicz.

"These results would not have been achieved without you. In the weeks and months after this disgusting display of thuggery, our local communities stood up and said this wasn't acceptable."

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