Brothers jailed over roles in Rotherham asylum hotel riot

Two brothers have been jailed for three years each after taking part in a riot outside a hotel being used to house asylum seekers.

Jason and Scott Maguire both pleaded guilty to being part of the violent disorder which erupted outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, near Rotherham, on 4 August 2024.

Sheffield Crown Court heard, Jason McGuire, 31, of Schofield Street in Doncaster, helped rip down fencing, which was used to throw at police officers, and was also part of a “mob” which attacked a police van.

Meanwhile, Scott McGuire, 34, of the same address, pushed down safety barriers and kicked items towards others for them to pick up and throw at officers.

The brothers were jailed alongside two other men, Keethan Reeve-Lawson and Daniel Kazemi, who were also present on the day.

The court has previously heard how windows were smashed and and fires lit around the hotel, as more than 200 asylum seekers and 22 staff were trapped inside.

On Monday, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC was told Scott Maguire initially arrived on his own, but was later caught on CCTV returning to the scene with his partner and baby.

“When they, one hopes, had departed, you were at the front of the hotel involving yourself in several serious incidents,” Judge Richardson said.

“You were kicking items for throwing, you were very provocative in your conduct, and you were involved in a fierce attack on police officers close to hotel.”

The court heard Jason Maguire had been on license at the time, after being sent to prison for ten years in 2018 for stabbing someone with a machete in a group fight.

Reeve-Lawson, 22, Mount Vernon Road in Barnsley, was caught on CCTV throwing a bottle at the police line.

Kazemi, 35, of Edna Street in Bolton-Upon-Dearne, threw a full beer can at a police office at close range.

Both men were jailed for 22 months.

Richard Barradell, defending Kazemi, said he was “embarrassed and ashamed” that he had fallen into the “pack mentality”.

“This man’s father is Iranian; he has no deep-seated issues with anyone. He can’t explain his actions,” he added.

Judge Richardson said the fact all four men had pleaded guilty was the “only real purposeful piece of mitigation in each of your cases”.

“Each one of you and many like you was intent on spreading a hateful message of violence and racism,” he said.

“The disorder was racist and extremely frightening for anyone who was there.”

He told the men how those inside the hotel had thought they would die when a fire was started against the hotel and they “could not leave for fear of what would happen to them”.

Each of the defendants was also handed a 10-year criminal behaviour order.