Two Men Receive Custodial Sentences for Violent Protest at Asylum Seeker Hotel

Custodial sentences have been imposed on two individuals who participated in a violent demonstration outside a hotel accommodating asylum seekers. According to police, Joe Howell, aged 20, and Alby Brannan, aged 18, threw objects at the Potters International Hotel in Aldershot, Hampshire, on 31 July. Both individuals, residents of Ash, Surrey, admitted their guilt to charges of violent disorder at Salisbury Crown Court. Howell, who also confessed to assaulting an emergency worker, received a 22-month term in a young offender institution, while Brannan was handed an 18-month sentence. The court had previously been informed that over 200 demonstrators assembled at the hotel, an event that occurred amidst widespread rioting across England following the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport. Testimony presented to the court indicated that a small contingent of men gained entry to the car park, where they kicked footballs at windows and caused damage to blinds and a perimeter wall. Judge Rufus Taylor previously stated that the demonstrators chanted slogans such as “we want our country back” and “get ’em gone,” which left the hotel’s occupants “petrified.” Police reported that Howell, residing on Bareham Drive, threw bicycles at the hotel building and struck doors, while Brannan, from Winchester Road, discharged fireworks. Assistant Chief Constable Tara McGovern commented: “We know that the majority of people who attended this protest in Aldershot were respectful.” She continued: “However, Howell and Brannan were part of a smaller group that chose to act in an aggressive and intimidating manner.“Their behaviour that day spiralled out of control and caused fear of violence to those inside the hotel and our officers. Our message is clear – this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.”