Liverpool protester receives suspended sentence for asylum hotel break-in attempt

Robert Scott, 47, has received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after attempting to break into the Richmond Hotel in Liverpool, which houses asylum seekers. During a protest on June 9 involving 100 to 150 people, Scott, wearing a Union Jack flag as a cloak, damaged the hotel's door in an attempt to gain entry.

Judge David Swinnerton noted that the protest was intended to intimidate and involved racially motivated abuse toward those inside the hotel. In addition to the attempted break-in, Scott was captured on CCTV stealing a Deliveroo food delivery bag near the Adelphi Hotel. He later posted footage on TikTok celebrating the theft. The judge observed that Scott viewed the delivery bag as a symbol of immigrants and minority ethnic groups.

Scott, who has 44 previous convictions for 72 offences, admitted to both theft and criminal damage.