A mother and daughter have been sentenced to jail for participating in a riot while they were out walking their family dog. Amanda Walton, 52, and Megan Davison, 24, confessed to engaging in violent disorder during riots in Middlesbrough on 4 August. The court saw the video proof of Davison leaping onto the roof of a red vehicle and Walton hurling a missile that damaged a car’s wing mirror and stroking through a canister.
Rachel Masters, the prosecutor, told the court that Davison, of Seaton St, Middlesbrough, was on a mixture of drugs at the time and was swept away in the violence. She observed sticking her finger up at a police officer and walking away from a shop while “concealing items”. The court heard about the mother, Walton, of Ashling Way, Middlesbrough, that she brought her chow chow to the rally, and a tape showed both women holding the pet’s lead as a mob marched up Parliament Street.
Davison was detected at her home, whereas Walton surrendered herself after police distributed images of the teenagers responsible for the violence. Jon Harley, defending Davison, acknowledged that she had taken a mixture of alcohol and drugs the night before, had recently broken up, and was still under the influence at the time of the march. Meanwhile, Gary Wood, for Walton, argued that she had joined the protest out of concern for her daughter.
Judge Francis Laird KC, considering the severity of the disorder and its comparison to other outbreaks of trouble in different parts of the country, ruled that neither sentence could be postponed. However, he awarded both defendants recognition for admitting their misdemeanours, which had reduced their prison terms. Davison was sentenced to 20 months in prison, and her mother, Walton, to 22 months
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