A man who looted a cosmetics store, a phone shop, a shoe outlet and damaged cars during riots in Hull while wearing a shirt emblazoned with the England flag has pleaded guilty in court.
John Honey, 25, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and three charges of burglary at Lush, the O2 store and Shoezone in the city on 3 August.
Honey also helped attack a BMW with three Romanian men in, targeted a garage leaving nine vehicles damaged, and pushed bins at police lines during the violence
He became one of the most notorious looters on social media after videos and pictures showed him embracing the chaotic scenes and brazenly entering various stores during the riots in Hull that left 11 police officers injured.
His distinctive St George’s Cross rugby shirt and lack of any face covering or disguise meant that he was easily identifiable.
Honey’s sentencing on Tuesday was delayed after claims he asked a prison probation officer “if he wanted his autograph” and while in remand appeared to be an “over-confident individual who presented with no remorse”.
He also allegedly told the court employee he “went into Greggs to have a drink as the pepper spray made him thirsty”.
Hull Crown Court heard that the disorder started when rioters gathered outside a hotel known to house asylum seekers and subjected police to a “barrage of verbal and physical threats” while chanting racist slogans.
Honey was at the front of the group and was captured on footage throwing a missile at police and pushing a large wheelie bin at them.
Footage of the BMW incident showed him pulling the passenger door open as a man inside tried to close it to protect himself.
The occupants of the car got out with their hands raised in a gesture of surrender and fled to a nearby hotel, the court heard.
The driver said he feared for his life after more than 100 “angry” men attempted to drag him from the car, punched him in the head and attempted to strike him with a metal bar.
A worker at the garage said he had to lock himself inside the premises with the shutters down as a group of men attacked the business, damaging cars and setting one on fire.
His statement said he heard shouts of “open the door, I’ll kill you” before hearing explosions and seeing black smoke coming through the shutters.
The court heard that he escaped through a back exit and hid in a nearby garden for around 40 minutes.
Other footage played in court showed Honey looting the Lush store, taking one of their branded bags and walking around the shop filling it with products.
Judge John Thackray KC, the recorder of Hull, said he had received a letter from a member of staff at HMP Hull who said they were conducting an assessment with Honey when he had asked “if I wanted his autograph as he is famous and is all over social media”.
The court heard that Honey disputed the probation officer’s claims and wanted to be sentenced on the basis that he was “genuinely remorseful”.
The case was adjourned until Friday for further statements to be taken.
Elsewhere, a 13-year-old girl has become the latest youngster to be convicted for her part in the widespread riots after admitting threatening unlawful violence outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.
The youth pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after she was seen punching and kicking the entrance to Potters International Hotel in Aldershot on 31 July during a protest.
Her conviction comes as analysis shows at least 50 youths under the age of 18 have been charged in connection with the nationwide disorder.
In Sheffield, a 19-year-old man who admitted throwing bricks and lighted arrows at police protecting a hotel housing asylum seekers was jailed for three years.
Father-of-one Drew Jarvis was filmed lighting an arrow with a lighter and throwing it at officers during the rioting outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August, a judge heard. Jarvis, of no fixed address, but originally from Barnsley, admitted violent disorder last week.
At the same court, 22-year-old self-employed construction worker Kaine Hicks was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting to hurling abuse at police protecting the hotel and pushing against officers’ shields.
As of Monday, 1,024 people had been arrested and 575 charged in the wake of the disorder, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, as of Monday, 273 people have been charged in relation to the disorder. The NPCC figure is higher to reflect charges which are solely issued by police and do not involve the CPS.
