A protester who attempted to force his way into a hotel accommodating asylum seekers while wearing a Union flag like a cloak has avoided a prison sentence.
Robert Scott, 47, also stole a Deliveroo bag after he joined between 100 and 150 people in Liverpool city centre on June 9 for a demonstration planned following disruption in Belfast.
At Liverpool Crown Court, Scott, of Bootle, Sefton, was handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for a period of two years.
Judge David Swinnerton said the protest took place within the context of “protecting women and girls from asylum seekers”.
Speaking regarding Scott’s record of 44 previous convictions for 72 offences, he said: “He’s got domestic violence all over his record and five children he doesn’t look after.”
The court heard that he had damaged the front door of the Richmond Hotel, housing asylum seekers, and attempted to gain entry before being stopped by police officers.
The judge stated that gathered outside the hotel was a “baying mob” of protesters.
He told Scott: “The general intention was, no doubt, to intimidate, and you, clad as you were in your Union Jack flag as a cloak, forced your way through the doors.”
He continued: “Immediately behind you as you forced open the doors of that hotel were 100 to 150 people shouting and being abusive, and racially motivated abuse, towards the people within that hotel.”
The protest subsequently moved on to Bold Street, where the defendant was captured on CCTV footage near the Adelphi Hotel making off with a Deliveroo bag from a group of riders gathered there.
He later published video footage on TikTok “celebrating” the theft, and an image posted on his Facebook page showed the bag with five pictures of Henry Nowak, whose murder sparked protests in Southampton, attached to it.
The judge noted that Scott viewed the bag as a symbol representing immigrants and people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
He said: “That’s why you stole a Deliveroo bag, to taunt them and because you appear to have found it funny and others appear to have found it funny too.”
He added: “There was some comment about doing it ‘for the clicks’.”
The court heard a community impact statement setting out the severe effect of the protest on businesses, which were required to pay for taxis for staff to ensure they reached home safely.
Judge Swinnerton noted: “The image of mobs coming down the street is not one which promotes the visitor economy.”
The defendant, who appeared via video link from prison wearing a bandage on his arm, apologized to the court for his actions and stated he had attempted to take his own life.
Nick Cockrell, defending, said: “It hasn’t been an easy experience in custody this time round and he is anxious, if he can, to receive a sentence which allows for his release and allows him to make some progress in the community.”
Scott, who admitted theft and criminal damage at an earlier court hearing, was ordered to complete 25 days of rehabilitation activity, 100 hours of unpaid work, 12 months of mental health treatment, and was placed on a trail monitoring tag requirement for 12 months.
