Engineer Joseph Haythorne Jailed for 15 Months Over Hate Post During Rotherham Riots

Joseph Haythorne, a 26-year-old engineer from Ashford, Surrey, posted a violent message on social media. He wrote, “Burn any hotels with those scruffy b*****ds in it.” This was during riots outside a hotel in Rotherham housing asylum seekers.

The message appeared on X (formerly Twitter) at lunchtime, as hundreds of people attacked police officers and the hotel. More than 60 police officers were hurt in the violence. Rioters even set fire to a bin next to a fire door of the Holiday Inn Express hotel, which had 240 asylum seekers and over 20 staff inside.

Haythorne’s post was made from an anonymous account. It was seen by 1,100 people within 17 minutes before he deleted it. The post also linked to a deleted message from activist Tommy Robinson.

At Sheffield Crown Court, the judge called the message “vile.” Haythorne admitted his guilt and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The judge said that immediate custody was needed because the offence was very serious.

Haythorne’s lawyer said he acted after reading harmful posts online. She said he regrets his actions and has depression, which could make prison difficult for him. The lawyer also said he deleted the post quickly and voluntarily went to the police.

The court compared Haythorne’s case to that of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for 31 months last year for a similar hate post. Connolly’s husband joked that Haythorne was lucky his partner was not a Tory councillor. This sparked a debate about sentence fairness.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the difference in sentencing, saying it was wrong for someone to get a longer sentence for a tweet than some violent criminals.

The events in Rotherham happened shortly after the Southport stabbings in July 2024. Those attacks led to public anger and violent protests targeting asylum seeker hotels across the UK.

Haythorne’s post came as tensions were very high. The judge said his message may have helped encourage the violence that day.