TWO men have received the longest jail sentences so far for their involvement in the recent widespread violent disorder across the country.
On Friday, prosecutors also charged another individual with rioting, signalling that more charges could be on the way.
David Wilkinson, 48, was sentenced to six years in prison for offences including racially aggravated criminal damage and violent disorder in Hull, northeast England, on August 3. Judge John Thackray noted that Wilkinson had a leading role in what he called "12 hours of racist, hate-fuelled mob violence," which involved attacking officers, spitting, and attempting to start a fire.
John Honey, 25, received a 56-month sentence for violent disorder and burglary. Honey was easily identifiable in video footage of the Hull riot due to his distinctive shirt with the England flag. The footage showed him looting shops and participating in an attack on a car carrying three Romanian men, where he, along with Wilkinson, tried to drag the occupants from the vehicle.
"You ... were intending to create a high risk of injury to persons because you were doing your best to assist others in exposing the occupants to the wrath of the baying mob," Thackray told them.
These sentences are the longest handed down since the riots, which involved violence, arson, looting, and racist attacks—the previous longest sentence being three years and four months.
On Friday, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service charged a 32-year-old man with the offence of rioting, following the charge of a 15-year-old boy with the same offence on Thursday. Riot charges are more serious than violent disorder and can result in up to 10 years in prison.
Gale Gilchrist, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East, stated that the 32-year-old was "one of a number of individuals who we expect will be charged with riot."
Police and prosecutors are responding to the disorder that erupted following the murders of three young girls in Southport on July 29. The violence was spurred by online misinformation that wrongly blamed the killings on an Islamist migrant. The National Police Chiefs' Council reported on Friday that a total of 1,117 arrests have been made since the unrest began.
(With inputs from Reuters)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.