'Vulnerable' father involved in riot burglary spared prison

A MAN who took part in a burglary during a riot which left a vape store £83,000 out of pocket has been spared prison after seeking help to counter his "harmful" far-right thinking.

- ROB KENNEDY

Wayne Robinson admitted he was “engaging with far-right ideology” at the time of the mass disorder which brought shame on Sunderland last August.

Robinson, described in court as vulnerable, carried as many vapes as he could carry from a city centre store which was targeted by a number of people. He also took part in the wider violent disorder which erupted in the city, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

A judge said that, unlike many involved that day who claimed they just happened to be present, Robinson, 34 of The Avenue, Durham, has admitted he was “curious” about far-right ideology. However he has since sought help to address those thoughts, including by engaging voluntarily with a counter-terrorism programme.

The court heard it was around 4pm on August 2 last year that a planned protest took place in Sunderland city centre but it quickly turned into widespread violent disorder involving hundreds of people. Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, said: “It was not safe for ordinary members of the public to be in the city centre at that time.”