Halton Moor riots: Six sentenced for 2020 disorder in Leeds as local community condemns violence
Six men have been sentenced for their part in two nights of violence in Leeds that brought fear to the community and saw police officers pelted with fireworks, bricks and bottles.
A total of 22 people have now been convicted for their involvement in what West Yorkshire Police describes as "large-scale disturbances" in Haltoon Moor on November 7 and 8, 2020.
Detectives launched Operation Digark to identify and bring to justice those involved in the incidents, which are estimated to have cost several hundred thousand pounds in damages.
The investigation saw 39 arrests made in the weeks and months that followed the two nights of disorder, and detectives carried out extensive enquiries to build up a clear evidential picture of those responsible.
Today (October 11), six of the remaining nine were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court.
Calvin Smith, aged 26, of Wykebeck Avenue, Osmondthorpe, was sentenced to one year and nine months, suspended for 18 months, for violent disorder, while James Anderson, aged 25, of Kendal Drive, Halton Moor, was sentenced to one year and five months, suspended for 18 months, with 150 hours of unpaid work for violent disorder. He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to the police officer hit by items thrown.
Kyle Saddington, aged 24, also of Kendal Drive, Halton Moor, was sentenced to one year and five months, suspended for 18 months, and given a six-month night-time curfew for violent disorder.
Morgan Thewlis, aged 24, of Forber Place, Halton Moor, was sentenced to 10 months, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £600 compensation for arson, and Lewis Hamilton, aged 20, of Rathmell Road, Halton Moor, was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work for violent disorder.
Brett Hamilton, aged 22, of Wykebeck Avenue, Osmondthorpe, was sentenced to an additional six months for arson on top of a prison sentence he is already serving.
Andrew Allison, aged 18, of Firbank Grove, Halton Moor; William Njie, aged 18, of Potternewton Crescent, Leeds; and Taylor Bulloch, aged 20, of Shelley Crescent, Oulton, are due to be sentenced on November 8 having been convicted of violent disorder.
Trouble had initially flared after local yobs targeted a family two had recently moved into an address on Kendal Drive, the force said.
A group descended on the address on the evening of November 7 and the family's car was attacked and set on fire.
When police arrived, they faced a hail of stones from 30 to 40 youths who had gathered as the family's fire-damaged car was recovered. The house was also attacked with windows being smashed, and was later burgled.
Additional officers who were called to help disperse the group were also attacked along with their vehicles. One officer was taken to hospital after being hit in the back of the head by a thrown rock, and three police vehicles were damaged.
Later, a dispersal order was put in place and public order units were deployed to the scene, repeatedly coming under attack from missiles throughout the evening.
The following evening, on November 8, police vehicles were once again targeted with bricks and fireworks when a large crowd gathered around the junction of Rathmell Road and Ullswater Crescent. Public order units were deployed to attempt to disperse the group and make arrests.
Later that evening, a member of the public's car was set on fire on Kendal Drive, and police units rushed to the scene to disperse a crowd that had gathered and to support the fire service who extinguished the vehicle.
Shortly before 11pm, a garden fence at a house on Rathmell Road was set on fire.
A large police presence was maintained in the area until order was restored, and remained over the subsequent days to reassure residents and deter any further incidents.
On today's sentencing, Leeds District Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Dodds said: “The ugly scenes witnessed on the streets of Halton Moor over those two nights were truly appalling and caused understandable fear and anxiety in the local community.
“Equally, while it is the role of police officers to face challenging situations, I never underestimate how distressing it will have been for all the officers involved to have been the target of mob violence such as this while working in really difficult circumstances to keep people safe.
“We always treat any incidents of this nature very seriously and immediately launched a robust response, alongside our partner agencies, to support the community and to make sure that those responsible were identified and held to account.
“Painstaking work by detectives over what is now four years since the incidents have resulted in the majority of those involved being brought to justice.
“Although this was a significant and serious disorder, it was the result of the opportunistic actions of a minority of local youths and was not a reflection of life in general in Halton Moor, which is an area with a strong identity and a real sense of community spirit.
“We hope these convictions will provide some reassurance to the community and serve as a reminder to others that they will face the consequences if they involve themselves in completely unacceptable incidents of this kind.”
West Yorkshire's Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE added: “As we head toward the bonfire night period, these convictions should serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of becoming involved in such mindless criminal behaviour.
"These individuals are certainly not representative of the majority who live and work in Halton Moor, and we will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to those intent on causing fear and harm across our communities.
"Thank you to everyone involved in the response, from the front-line officers and detectives who have worked relentlessly to bring those responsible to justice, to the support of local residents and leaders.”
Councillor Debra Coupar, Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council, said: "What happened in Halton Moor in 2020 was completely unacceptable and I am pleased not only that robust action was taken at the time but that those responsible have now faced justice.
"Halton Moor has a fantastic community spirit and the disorder perpetrated by these individuals is not reflective of the community as a whole. I know that many people will be relieved that justice has been served and the message is clear that this sort of behaviour and criminal activity will not be tolerated in our communities.
“I'd like to thank the Police for their work on this and also local people for their understanding and determination to ensure Halton Moor is not blighted by this incident."