First man jailed in Staffordshire for rioting

The first man in Staffordshire has been jailed for rioting following the violent disorder in Tamworth.

Simon Orr, 38, of Tamworth, was given a sentence of six-years-and-17-weeks at Stafford Crown Court today (Thursday 16 October) after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to riot – unlawful violence and assault by beating of an emergency worker.

He assaulted an officer in Tamworth on 4 August and sent a WhatsApp message encouraging others to turn up.

Since the events of that weekend, our dedicated team of detectives have been working tirelessly to review all of the footage and to act against those who subjected our communities and frontline officers to senseless acts of criminality.

Orr was arrested on 12 August and originally denied his involvement saying the protest was peaceful.

We secured the evidence to charge him for violent disorder and later consulted with the CPS over upgrading the offence to riot – unlawful violence – public order, the most serious of the Public Order Act 1986.

In September, we became in the second force in the UK to secure riot charges against two people, including Orr. Alongside his sentencing today, we also reached a milestone of making 150 arrests in connection with both disorders in Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth. More will be coming.

As part of Orr’s sentence, he was also given a 10-year community behaviour order (CBO).

Assistant Chief Constable Becky Riggs said: “What happened on that weekend in August is something that is going to stay with our officers and local communities for a very long time.

“Our investigation has been unwavering and is still very much in progress. We want to make sure we take the right action against everybody who contributed to the disorder in Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth, and to send a clear message that we will never tolerate anything like this in Staffordshire or across the UK.”