A couple has been sentenced to 21 months in jail for their role in a violent protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Tamworth
On August 4, they showed up at the Holiday Inn Express wearing matching football shirts. They were part of a large crowd that caused nearly £100,000 in damage. It was wild, with people throwing all sorts of things at the police, who were just trying to keep everyone safe.
Prosecutors said the couple was caught on camera encouraging the crowd to get rowdy. Stonehouse was shouting at the police, while Kirkbride was laughing at the chaos. When they were arrested, Kirkbride claimed he didn’t think he did anything wrong, but he did acknowledge that his actions could be seen as racist.
Both men pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Their lawyer argued that they were naive and didn’t realize how serious their actions were. They had been in custody for four months before their sentencing, and the lawyer said they were model prisoners.
During the sentencing, the judge expressed disbelief that two seemingly sensible guys ended up in such a mess. He said they should have just gone home instead of getting involved in the protest. He made it clear that any kind of violence like this wouldn’t be tolerated.
In the end, they were given a criminal behavior order, which means they can’t go back to that hotel or any place housing asylum seekers. It’s a tough lesson learned for them.
