Second person jailed for rioting in Staffordshire following Tamworth disorder

A man has become the second person jailed for rioting in Staffordshire following the violent disorder in Tamworth last summer.

Mitchell Cleaver, 26, of Tamworth, admitted the offence of riot – unlawful violence, the most serious of the Public Order Act 1986, at a hearing in court last September.

Today (Friday 14 February), he was sentenced to five-years-and-seven-months behind bars.

Cleaver sent various messages to people before the violent disorder in Tamworth on 4 August, asking them to ‘burn the place down’ and make it the ‘maddest night in Tamworth history’.

Various pieces of footage from the scene on Cleaver’s phone showed what happened, including when the Holiday Inn Express window was smashed and a fire was started inside.

Officers have been trawling through all of the footage and evidence from that day as part of our ongoing efforts to bring those responsible to justice.

Cleaver is now one of the 49 people who have been sentenced as part of our robust response into the summer disorder.

In December, we arrested our 200th suspect in connection with the violent disorder. A total of 82 people have now been charged across our investigation, and more will follow.

We’re continuing to act against those who subjected our communities and police officers to acts of extreme violence.