A Hull mother returned home from a holiday to discover a burglary at her home. As she pulled up in her driveway, she noticed two panes of glass had been broken in the front door and the door unlocked, a court heard.
When she went into her house, she noticed her son’s £500 electric bike was missing. Jack Dawson, 23, of Appleton Road, west Hull, admitted handling stolen goods on June 5 and breaching a suspended sentence order imposed for violent disorder at a hotel where asylum seekers were being housed at the time on August 3, 2024.
Jane Rapin, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the woman placed an appeal on a Facebook page asking for information about anyone offering an electric bicycle for sale. Shortly afterwards, the woman received a message from another woman saying that she had bought it for £100 from a man in the street in Spring Bank West, Hull.
She returned the cycle and said that she had only bought it because it had a key in the charger, which removed her suspicion of it being stolen. Police were alerted and they examined CCTV of the street.
A police sergeant recognised Dawson as the man trying to sell the bike to people in the street. He was later arrested and officers found him at premises, hiding under a bed.
The woman said in a statement that her children would not sleep alone in their bedrooms. They also would not get up to go to the toilet for fear of encountering a burglar.
She said that the family was anxious in their own home and she described it as “a violation”. She added: “I have always expected good out of people, but now I am cautious.”
Dawson had convictions for 15 previous offences. One was for violent disorder in a Hull riot in 2024, for which he received a 20-month suspended prison sentence.
Amber Hobson, mitigating, said that Dawson was “incredibly sorry.” He recognised the judge’s clemency in previous court appearances.
Judge John Thackray KC said: “I have bent over backwards to keep him out of prison. I have done my best to try to assist.”
He said that he was aware of the background difficulties in his childhood. “I still think you can turn your life around rather than serve a life sentence in instalments,” said Judge Thackray. “I have not given up on you yet.”
He imposed a £50 fine for the breach of the suspended sentence order, which will continue. Sentence was deferred on the handling stolen goods matter until January.
At the original hearing at Hull Crown Court in July last year, the court was told that Dawson was one of those who were involved in a large-scale demonstration in Hull city centre. Police were in Ferensway, including outside the Royal Hotel, where asylum seekers were being housed at the time.
The disorder spilled onto the cenotaph area, opposite the hotel. Dawson was seen on footage that was filmed of the incident.
He was on Ferensway and was part of a large group who were throwing missiles at police officers. He was on the road outside the Royal Hotel and could be seen throwing missiles towards police.
At 2.39pm, a large group advanced towards officers and Dawson was part of that group. Some of those in the group attacked officers and Dawson could be seen to throw a missile.
At 4.36pm, Dawson was on Spring Bank and he could be seen to select and throw missiles – believed to be stones – towards a police van and officers. He was arrested on December 20, 2024 and, during interview the next day, he made no comment to all questions.
At an earlier hearing before Hull Crown Court, he had asked to be remanded in custody straight away rather than continuing to be on bail. He had believed at the time that he faced an inevitable prison sentence and he wanted to start it that day. But, at the resumed hearing, he was given a suspended sentence.