Yahoo News Middlesbrough mum and daughter who stood out in riot crowds are both jailed
A mum and daughter who took part in the Middlesbrough riots on August 4 have now both been jailed.
Megan Davison, 24, was filmed climbing on top of a car on Parliament Road and jumping up and down on it's roof, as protestors walked past her and violence broke out. She was later filmed coming out of a shop with items stuffed up her top; she was easily visible in a pink tracksuit.
Amanda Walton, 52, brought her dog to the riots and she also stood out of the crowds on Parliament Road, as she wore a bright orange jacket. She was captured throwing an object at a house and damaging a car wing mirror.
Davison, a mother-of-two, was captured on police bodycam sticking her finger up at officers at she dragged boyfriend Jake Wray away from an argument with officers. Wray, 23, who lives with Megan Davison, later pleaded guilty to violent disorder after he was captured setting up a checkpoint on Linthorpe Road and only allowing white drivers to pass.
On Monday, the mother and daughter sat in the dock with their heads down and a security guard between them, at Teesside Crown Court. Rachel Masters, prosecuting told the court that chants of, "take our country" back were heard by the police, as the protest turned violent. "Cars were set on fire, objects were thrown and windows were smashed" Ms Masters said.
The court heard that 14 police cars were damaged on Teesside and the cost of the operation to police the Middlesbrough riot was £630,000. Walton handed herself into the police on August 16, after seeing herself in photos that the police had posted in an appeal to identify rioters. Davison was arrested alongside her boyfriend the next day.
Walton handed police a prepared statement, through her solicitor, where she said she had been at the riots, but had not taken part in any violet disorder.
Walton, of Ashling Way in Linthorpe, and Davison, of Seaton Street in central Middlesbrough, both pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Both women were taken into prison after their guilty pleas, on August 29. Walton has six previous convictions, including two for battery.
In mitigation, the court heard that Davison said she had taken "a cocktail of zopiclone and pregabalin" as well as a alcohol the night before and that she was still intoxicated when she joined the riot. Davison's barrister said her client had recently left an abusive relationship.
Walton had been "concerned about her daughter", Gary Wood told the court, "She hadn't pre-planned getting involved but she can offer no explanation as to why she threw the object."
Walton offered up a "positive behaviour record" given to her by prison staff at HMP Low Newton; and Davison reported that she has been moved onto the drug-free wing there, and had sought help in prison, for her drug addiction.
Judge Francis Laird said that police officers were attacked with bricks and public buildings were damaged, "in the large scale disorder in Middlesbrough. The participants gathered at the Cenotaph and proceeded to march along Linthorpe Road towards the town centre.
"The atmosphere became aggressive and police were forced to form a line preventing the march from entering Clarendon Road. There were attempts to break through the police line. Violence erupted - missiles were thrown, bins were set alight, residential homes were attacked."
The judge said that the mum and daughter were daughter were captured at 4.23pm that day, "Amanda Walton - you picked up a missile and threw it in the direction of a residential property; you damaged a parked car. Having handed yourself into police, you refused to answer questions and gave a statement denying any criminality.
"Megan Davison - you jumped up and down on a car roof, the same car was later damaged by others. You were goading police officers by sticking your finger up at them. You were seen walking away from a shop, concealing items."
The judge said he had taken into account the pre-sentence reports that stated that Walton suffers from depression and has lost her mother in recent years; and that Davison was in the aftermath of a relationship breakdown and "heavily dependent on illicit substances."
He said he accepted that there was "no racist motivation" for taking part in the riots, in either woman's case. Walton was jailed for 22-months; her daughter Davison received 20-months.
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