Group appear in court for violent disorder at Knowsley hotel housing asylum seekers

Two teenagers and eight men have appeared in court charged with violent disorder following a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.

A police can was set on fire and missiles thrown at officers after the demonstration outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley, Merseyside, on 10 February.

The eight men and one 15-year-old appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after being charged in connection with the incident.

Another 15-year-old boy appeared at Liverpool Youth Court and was given a 12-month referral order after admitting violent disorder at a previous hearing, the court was told.

Liam Jones, 25, and Christopher Shelley, 44, pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Crown Court while Harry Boynton, 19, John Tippler, 59, and Warren Cullen, 20, confirmed they had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

The five men, all from Kirkby, Merseyside, were told they would be sentenced at the conclusion of a trial for other defendants.

Judge Denis Watson KC warned the men they could face a prison sentence.

He said: “All options are open and you are at significant risk of immediate custody.”

Paul Lafferty, 42, Thomas Mills, 46, and the 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to violent disorder and were told they would face a trial on 2 January.

Two other teenagers, aged 13 and 14, did not appear for the hearing and their case was adjourned to 4 August, when eight other defendants are expected to appear for a plea hearing related to the same incident.

Jonjo O’Donoghue, 20, appeared in the dock but did not enter a plea to the charge of violent disorder and his case was also adjourned to 4 August.

All the defendants were released on bail.

Jared Skeete, 19, was sentenced to three years detention in April after pleading guilty to violent disorder outside the hotel.

The violence, which happened during a protest over alleged incidents related to residents, was condemned by politicians at the time.