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A protester who kicked a police officer outside a hotel where asylum seekers were being housed has received a suspended jail sentence. Jimmy Hillard, a 52-year-old carpenter from Loughton, assaulted an emergency worker outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. This incident occurred shortly after a Court of Appeal ruling permitted migrants to continue residing in the hotel. Hillard admitted to the assault and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for one year, at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.
During the sentencing, Hillard was also instructed to complete 60 hours of unpaid work and pay the police officer £100 in compensation. The prosecutor, Serena Berry, recounted the events leading up to the assault, stating that Hillard was present outside The Bell Hotel when a police cordon was in place. Despite being asked to move by an officer, Hillard remained in place. When an officer pushed him away causing him to fall, Hillard reacted by kicking out at the officer, although no injury was sustained.
The defense lawyer, Raphael Pigott, highlighted that Hillard did not attend the protest with the intention to cause harm, but it was a spontaneous reaction to being pushed to the ground. Following ongoing anti-immigration protests and counter-demonstrations outside The Bell Hotel since July, Judge Christopher Williams acknowledged the challenging and hostile situations that officers have encountered. He stressed the prevalent disorder surrounding the government’s asylum seeker housing policies at hotels nationwide, noting The Bell Hotel as a focal point of such unrest.
Judge Williams noted that Hillard had a prior conviction for a racially aggravated offense outside the same hotel in 2021. Considering the persistent disorder, the judge emphasized the need for punishment and deterrence, prohibiting Hillard from the vicinity of the building for six months. Meanwhile, another individual, Ross Ellis, was sentenced for failing to provide a specimen, after driving towards police officers in a restricted area. These incidents underscore the complex and contentious atmosphere surrounding asylum seeker housing arrangements in various parts of the country
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