Sunderland man first person in country to be convicted of riot following disorder across UK

A North East man has become the first person in the country to be convicted of riot following the recent disorder across the UK.

Kieran Usher, 32, of Bramwell Road, Hendon, Sunderland, today pleaded guilty to a charge of riot at Newcastle Crown Court in relation to his role in the Sunderland disorder on August 2. The case relied on a significant amount of CCTV evidence, which captured Usher donning a face covering before encouraging others to participate in violence and throwing a missile at nearby police. He was later captured on camera as part of a large mob throwing missiles at attending officers.

After the hearing, Christopher Atkinson, head of the complex casework Unit for CPS North East, said: “It is clear from the evidence in this case that Usher played an active role in the mob violence that unfolded on the streets of Sunderland.

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“He was filmed working with a group of at least twenty other people to rain missiles onto attending police officers. The co-ordinated and unlawful violence carried out by the group in this incident, the severity of which forced police to temporarily retreat from the assault, made a charge of riot wholly appropriate in this case. The events of that evening also created immeasurable fear for Sunderland residents, with significant damage caused to local businesses.

“We would like to praise the response of Northumbria Police, who effectively tackled the immediate situation, while also securing key evidence to help us build robust cases against the perpetrators of this violence.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work alongside our criminal justice partners to ensure that anyone threatening the communities we serve are swiftly brought to justice for their actions.”

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Usher was remanded in custody and Judge Tim Gittins said there was an "inevitability about the sentence". He told him: "As you have pleaded guilty to this offence, the next stage is for you to be sentenced. As you will appreciate, you have pleaded guilty to a very serious offence.

"What I can promise is you will receive substantial credit for entering a guilty plea today. Hopefully I will be able to sentence you on the 27th of September if the material from your medical records is available by then."

Sophie Allinson-Howells, defending, said: "He suffers from quite a severe learning disability."