Three men sentenced for violent disorder in Epping
It follows incidents outside The Bell Hotel earlier this year
Three men have been sentenced for violent disorder outside the Bell Hotel in Epping.
51-year-old Dean Smith, from Epping, was handed 1 year 10 months in prison, 36-year-old Stuart Williams, also from Epping, was handed 2 years 4 months in prison and 33-year-old Martin Peagram, from Loughton was given a sentence of 2 years 2 months.
The court heard that the men were remorseful about their actions.
Mr Smith’s defence said that he was “frustrated at his own stupidity”, and that even if the England football team was staying at the hotel, he would have still been protesting. He said his motivating factor for being at the protest was not being “anti-immigration.”
In the case of Mr William’s defence, it was said that the protest’s wider impact should not be “laid at the door of Mr Williams.” He was said to have been at the protest with the only motivation being to “protect our kids.”
Mr Peagram’s defence also noted the “idiotic” behaviour, and said “he is embarrassed by what took place.”
The men appeared in Chelmsford Crown Court due to violent disorder on the 17th July, with the prosecution noting it started out as a “peaceful protest.”
They said that the disorder started when counter-protesters arrived, and the court was shown a video of some of the incidents which took place that day.
The prosecution said that “officers were subject to violence for 4 hours”, and that there were “repeated assaults.”
They noted “numerous threats of violence” to officers at the incident.
Mr Williams was described to have acted with “thuggish intent”, and Mr Peagram was said to have attempted to “kick an officer.”
They said that there was a “massive financial impact” to a nearby pub, and that “over 100 officers” faced “extremely challenging conditions” during the protest.
Dean Smith was seen shaking his head and looking down at his feet throughout the sentencing.
The judge described the men as “active” participants in the disorder.