A 26-year-old man who was one of the first to enter a hotel housing more than 200 asylum seekers during rioting in Rotherham has been jailed for three years.

Video was shown at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday (Sept 3), of Craden McKenzie, Doncaster Road, Darfield, Barnsley, climbing into the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4 , and walking around the deserted lobby area, as staff took refuge in the kitchen.

The court heard this was after a mob has smashed-in windows and a fire door but before attempts were made to set fire to the building with a burning bin.

Footage was also shown of McKenzie in a crowd which was attacking a group of outnumbered riot police outside the building amid shouts of "burn it down".

The Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham was set on fire and some rioters gained entry and reportedly ran down corridors looking for residents.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, was also shown body-worn camera footage from officers trying to push back the rioters with McKenzie at the front, hitting their shields.

Judge Richardson said unemployed labourer McKenzie was a "central participant in the most serious aspects" of the disorder, which left 64 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured.

The judge heard how, after handing himself in, McKenzie told police he went into the hotel to see for himself the conditions in which the residents were living.

Rotherham riot: Man who was one of the first to enter the Holiday Inn Express has been jailed