Father who took seven-year-old son to riot jailed

A father who took his seven-year-old son to a riot at a hotel housing asylum seekers has been jailed.

James Garbutt, 41, was seen with the boy on his shoulders outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on 4 August when major violence broke out.

Sheffield Crown Court was also shown footage of Garbutt, of Kingsbrook Chase, Rotherham, pushing two supermarket trolleys into a fast-moving police car in the nearby Aldi car park.

Jailing him for two years and four months, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, told the defendant he was "a dreadful example" to his son and should be "comprehensively ashamed".

Father-of-three Garbutt, who had 18 previous convictions for various offences such as drug trafficking, harassment, assault and driving while over the prescribed limit, had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

He was also issued with a 10-year criminal behaviour order during the hearing.

The court heard Garbutt, a sales manager who lived near the hotel, came across the disorder while on a day out with the youngster and decided to stay.

Footage showed the pair walking through an increasingly volatile crowd and taking turns filming the scene with Garbutt's mobile phone.

At around 13:45 BST, Garbutt and the boy were seen in the Aldi supermarket car park, located near to the hotel, where Garbutt grabbed hold of two supermarket trolleys and pushed them into an oncoming police car.

In other clips, Garbutt could be seen bare-chested shortly before a fire was started in front of the hotel's emergency exit, which prevented those inside from evacuating.

Judge Richardson accepted while Garbutt was "well to the fore" he was there as a "supporter, egging others on" and only actively participated in the disorder in one episode.

Judge Richardson told him: "Unquestionably the most serious aggravating feature of this case is the fact that at all material times you had your seven-year-old son with you.

"At any stage of various incidents you could and should have removed not only yourself but most certainly your son."

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