An ‘extremely stupid’ beauty student has avoided jail after joining rioters outside a migrant hotel in a yellow cocktail dress to hand out eggs.
Destiny Waugh, 19, turned up to the demonstration on Oldham Road in Newton Heath before walking to a nearby Shell Garage on July 31 this year.
Whilst there, she bought two cartons of six eggs which were ‘used as missiles’, Manchester Crown Court heard on Tuesday.
Crowds had begun gathering outside the Holiday Inn earlier that evening, which reportedly housed asylum seekers, before the situation ‘escalated’, with bottles, bricks and eggs launched at hotel grounds and police as racist slurs were also shouted.
Mr Gavin Howie, prosecuting, said that although Ms Waugh was not directly involved in those incidents, she ‘aided and abetted’ those taking part in disorder by ‘delivering ammunition’ to a group of teenagers.
Ms Waugh, of Risbury Walk, Manchester, pleaded guilty to the charge of violent disorder and was sentenced to 16 months in young offenders institute, suspended for 18 months
Manchester Crown Court heard how she turned up to the demonstration in a yellow cocktail dress before walking to a nearby garage to buy eggs, which were ‘used as missiles’
She must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, attend 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and pay £150 in costs
In Newton Heath, bricks and bottles were hurled at police as dozens gathered outside a hotel housing asylum seekers
The court was shown CCTV images of Ms Waugh buying two cartons of eggs and paying with cash, before walking back to the scene holding a white carrier bag.
Videos played in court showed her in a yellow dress, which was seen on police appeal pictures issued after the incident, prompting her to hand herself in on September 7.
‘The best course of action here would have been for her to keep walking and not to return,’ Mr Howie said.
‘She approaches a group of boys and hands them the eggs, which were used as missiles and launched towards police officers stood at the entrance gate. This is a classic case of aiding and abetting – delivering the ammunition into their hands.’
The court was told how Destiny, who works part time as a cleaner and is a student in beauty therapy, told police that she had stumbled across the large group of protesters as she walked along Oldham Road that evening.
‘She claimed she had no idea why the crowd were there and was not fully clued up on the Southport attacks,’ Mr Howie added. ‘Ms Waugh’s involvement was relatively short, however her actions encouraged teenage boys to take part, in turn, providing encouragement to others for this to escalate.’
Far-right protests rocked Britain over the Summer after misinformation about the identity of a man arrested for the murder of three little girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, encouraged yobs to loot from shops, attack police officers and target Mosques and hotels with projectiles.
While Destiny avoided prison, several other rioters are facing jail time for their role in the riots.
In August, Drew Jarvis, 19, was sentenced to three years behind bars after being caught on TikTok throwing a brick at police guarding the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham.
Sheffield Crown Court saw footage filmed from an upstairs window of the hotel, in which Jarvis – wearing a blue Adidas hoodie and face mask – was recorded throwing a plank of wood at the hotel around midday.
Later on Jarvis, said to be ‘at the fore’ of about a dozen violent individuals, was also shown throwing a brick at police officers – then he was videoed lighting arrows and launching them at the police line.
A list of people who were released as suspects by Greater Manchester Police following the Rochdale disorder
Thugs were also caught on camera smashing the windscreen of a bus and trying to kick in the doors in Newton Heath
A man appears to be holding a plank of wood in Manchester city centre during the violence
Several men can be seen trying to kick down the doors of a vape shop on Mosley Street
Never-before-seen footage shows far-right thugs throwing missiles at police
A man caught on camera during the violence in Greater Manchester
Elsewhere, in the latest example of the courts’ crackdown following the disturbances across the country, a woman accused of buying eggs and water for rioters to throw at police outside a hotel housing asylum seekers was remanded into custody.
Barbara Barker, 52, of Tyndall Avenue, Manchester, pleaded not guilty to violent disorder at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutor Suzanne Ludlow alleged Barker was a ‘willing participant in the disorder’ and ‘aided and abetted the riots’ by buying eggs and water from a nearby shop for protesters on July 31.
A labourer was also jailed for three years after storming a hotel housing migrants during the far-right riots.
McKenzie then wandered around the deserted lobby area while staff took refuge in the kitchen.
In a video shown to Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, Craden Mckenzie, 26, can be seen climbing into the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham on August 4.
Defending Destiny, Ms Verity Quaite said she had no previous convictions and added: ‘She has shown a considerable amount of immaturity here; she has been incredibly foolish and she said she feels disgusted with herself.’
Ms Waugh, of Risbury Walk, Manchester, pleaded guilty to the charge of violent disorder and was sentenced to 16 months in young offenders institute, suspended for 18 months.
She must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, attend 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and pay £150 in costs.
Sentencing, Judge Alan Conrad QC described Ms Waugh’s actions as ‘extremely stupid’. He said: ‘In July of this year, there were terrible and tragic events in Southport following which there was an outpouring on social media, including a large amount of false and inflammatory postings, leading to widespread and hate-filled incidents of violent disorder.
‘It is that context which makes cases such as this so serious. You purchased eggs which you passed on to youths for them to be used as missiles. There is no evidence you did anything further. After you handed them over, you left the scene. You were extremely stupid in acting as you did.’