Man sentenced for assaulting police officer outside hotel housing asylum seekers

Jimmy Hillard, 52, admitted to kicking a police officer during a protest outside an asylum seeker hotel in Epping.

Police car
Author: Kay DavidsonPublished 1st Sep 2025
Last updated 1st Sep 2025

A carpenter who attended a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting to assaulting a police officer.

Jimmy Hillard, of Loughton, Essex, went to the demonstration at the Bell Hotel in Epping on Friday, a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court was told on Monday.

The 52-year-old, who appeared in court wearing a grey tracksuit, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker after kicking out while on the ground and striking the officer's leg.

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