Two men were sentenced today for a combined total of five years for their roles in publishing Facebook posts designed to incite racial hatred and call for the destruction of a hotel in Leeds housing 200 asylum seekers during recent UK riots.
Jordan Parlour, 28, from Brooklands Close, Leeds, appeared at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, where he was found guilty of publishing material intended to stir racial hatred. His posts targeted the Britannia Hotel in Seacroft, which provides accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers. Parlour received a 20-month prison sentence.
Tyler Kay, a company director, was sentenced to 38 months in prison at Northampton Crown Court. Kay had repeated inflammatory anti-immigrant comments originally posted by the wife of a Tory councillor and had boasted online that he would not be arrested.
Prosecutor Matthew Donkin reported that between August 2 and August 3, hotel staff observed that stones had been thrown and windows damaged. Kay had also shared a screenshot of a message inciting action against a specific immigration solicitor in Northampton and expressed a desire to participate in organized protests.
Donkin noted that the unrest, which began with public disorder in Southport on July 30, spread to other cities, including Manchester, Hartlepool, Aldershot, and London by July 31.
The prosecutor added that the posts on Kay’s account included incitements to violence, receiving various reactions, such as likes and comments expressing frustration about the perceived misuse of taxpayer money.
Judge Guy Kearl KC, the Recorder of Leeds, observed that Parlour’s messages were widely disseminated, aligning with his intent to spread hate. Parlour had justified his encouragement of the hotel attack by claiming that asylum seekers were exploiting taxpayer resources, a viewpoint he later described as “stupid” in court. He was arrested in the early hours and claimed his post was written out of “anger and frustration.”
Mr. Donkin also mentioned that Parlour had expressed harmful beliefs about asylum seekers, further contributing to the case against him.