Arsonist Caught on CCTV in Racist Attack on Asylum Seekers’ Hotel
Thomas Birley, 27, has been slammed with a hefty nine-year jail term for a brutal arson attack at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham. The hotel was sheltering nearly 200 asylum seekers when Birley and his mob unleashed chaos on August 4.
Holiday Inn Assault Caught on Camera
At Sheffield Crown Court, explosive CCTV footage showed Birley clad in a black hooded coat and a red mask, throwing logs onto a blazing bin right outside the hotel entrance. Birley also joined the group smashing windows in a violent rampage aimed at innocent residents.
Judge Labels Attack ‘One of the Worst’ – Racism at the Core
Presiding Judge Jeremy Richardson KC blasted the vile incident as “unquestionably one of the worst” cases to hit the courtroom. He slammed the “venom of racism” fueling Birley’s rampage and condemned his clear “desire to perpetrate mob rule” alongside “very serious criminal offences.”
Staff Terrified as Birley Hurls Bin and Wields Police Baton
Birley didn’t stop at arson – he hurled a bin at riot police and brandished a police baton during the rampage. Hotel staff barricaded themselves inside a panic room, fearing for their lives. Maintenance manager Paul Coulson revealed staff were “scared to death,” trapped amid smoke and fire, fearing they “might burn to death.”
Remorse Falls on Deaf Ears – Birley Faces Years Behind Bars
Birley’s defence lawyer, Dermot Hughes, claimed the former painter and decorator was “appalled” by his actions and “heartfelt remorse.” That sympathy didn’t sway the court.
Birley will serve a nine-year sentence plus an extended five years on licence post-release. This tops all sentences handed down for the violent disorder at the asylum hotel. A stark warning that racially motivated violence will be met with the full force of the law.
