Man given suspended sentence for kicking officer at Epping hotel protest
Jimmy Hillard, 52, sentenced after striking an officer outside a hotel housing asylum seekers following Court of Appeal ruling
A 52-year-old man has been given a suspended prison sentence after kicking a police officer during a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, Essex.
Jimmy Hillard, a carpenter from Loughton, admitted assaulting an emergency worker and was sentenced at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court to eight weeks in prison, suspended for one year. He was also ordered to complete 60 hours of unpaid work and to pay the injured officer £100 in compensation.
Prosecutor Serena Berry told the court Hillard was outside The Bell Hotel at about 21:20 BST while a police cordon was in place. An officer asked him to move but, Ms. Berry said, "this defendant didn't move." An officer then pushed him away from the cordon, causing him to fall to the ground, and while on the ground he kicked out at the officer, the prosecutor said.
The assault occurred hours after a Court of Appeal ruling allowed migrants to continue being housed in the building. Demonstrations outside The Bell Hotel in Epping had been held for nearly two months, with local protests linked to the presence of asylum seekers there.
Hillard pleaded guilty to the charge of assaulting an emergency worker. The court imposed a suspended custodial sentence rather than immediate imprisonment, alongside the community order of unpaid work and the modest compensation payment to the officer.
Magistrates heard details of the incident in which officers were policing a cordoned area outside the hotel. The sentencing reflects the court's assessment of the offence, Hillard's plea and any mitigating or aggravating factors presented during the hearing. Assaulting an emergency worker is treated as a distinct offence in UK law and can attract custodial sentences.
The protests at The Bell Hotel have drawn local attention amid wider national debate over the accommodation of people seeking asylum in hotels. The Court of Appeal's decision to permit continued housing at the site came shortly before Hillard's altercation with police.
Court records show Hillard was dealt with through magistrates' court process after admitting the charge. The suspended sentence means he will avoid immediate imprisonment unless he breaches the terms of the suspension during the one-year period, in which case the custodial term could be activated.