Racist louts pulled out a firearm and knife during a violent clash with bouncers months after taking part in a city centre riot. Lewis Stubbs and Tony Hall threw missiles at police and burgled a vape shop during the infamous scenes which brought shame on Sunderland in August 2024.
Then, in February this year, the pair had been at the Old Skool bar, on Vine Street, Sunderland, and were asked to leave after something happened in the early hours. Two members of door staff were asked to assist in getting them out and one of them told Hall he couldn’t leave with a glass of beer in his hand.
Neil Pallister, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court Hall and Stubbs became aggressive and threatened to knock out one of the bouncers. Mr Pallister said: “Stubbs got very close to him and grabbed his hat and threw it away.
“The two defendants began to walk away but when the complainant went to pick up his hat, Stubbs ran and picked it up and put it down his tracksuit bottoms and rubbed his bottom on it and threw the hat back to him.
“Both were using racially abusive language.” They said they would get the door staff in trouble if they touched them and Hall smashed a bottle of beer on the ground.
They said they would cause the workers to lose their jobs and Stubbs knocked off one of the men’s glasses and Hall tried to stamp on them. Hall then shouted at Stubbs: “Go ahead and stab him”.
The bouncers went back inside the bar and closed the doors for their safety. Stubbs moved his hands towards his jacket and took out a knife and then people were heard shouting “Gun, gun gun.”
Mr Pallister said: “Hall was pointing a gun towards them, walking towards the door. He started hitting the doors with the gun and shouting.” The gun was later found in a bush and it was a gas powered BB gun. A magazine with 17 pellets was also recovered.
The victim who had his hat and glasses knocked off said in a statement: “This incident made me angry because of the racist language they used and the way the took my hat and cause damage to it. I’ve never seen a gun before and it made me feel a bit strange to see it.”
His colleague added: “I felt like I had to be careful when going out. They came to attack us with a gun and knife.
“We have to live in Sunderland with this male and I feel I have to be careful where I go. I went to Manchester for a week to hide afterwards. The male’s friend came to my place of work afterwards and said we were snitches. The incident really affected me mentally.”
During the mass disorder on August 2 last year, Stubbs threw a can of alcohol towards a police officer’s head, took part in a burglary of a vape shop, was part of a crowd outside a police hub which was vandalised and was part of a crowd throwing plastic chairs towards the police line.
Hall, caught on camera wearing a Sunderland top, was more heavily involved. He confronted police holding a glass bottle in his hand, which he appears to have thrown. He was also part of the crowd outside the police hub and involved in the burglary of the vape shop.
He also threw a bin and parasol at the police and repeatedly attacked the police, throwing three bins and other objects, including a plastic chair.
Stubbs, 25, of Front Road, Ford Estate, Sunderland, who has 19 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two counts of racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, two counts of racially aggravated assault by beating, having a bladed article, violent disorder and burglary. He was jailed for 40 months.
Hall, 31, of Pensher Street, Sunderland, who has 11 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possessing cannabis, two counts of racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, riot and burglary. He was jailed for 56 months.
Nick Lane, for Hall, said he thought the riot “was to be a demonstration about British values” and “didn’t believe that was about one ethnic group”. Mr Lane said he is ashamed of how he behaved and said it happened after an incident between the police and his father. He said the offending was “drunken loutish behaviour that escalated”.
Jason Smith, for Stubbs, said: “He had a traumatic early childhood. He suffered abuse and spent time in foster care. That has resulted in the use of alcohol and drugs, perhaps to deal with the traumatic circumstances of his early childhood. Mr Smith said Stubbs’ work while remanded in custody has been labelled “outstanding” by prison staff.
Source – Chronicle Live
