Darlington teenager locked up for livestreaming disorder

Brandon Welch used racist language and encouraged people to smash up property in the North Lodge Park area of Darlington.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Welch was actively encouraging people to get involved in the disorder while he was live streaming on TikTok.

The 18-year-old was also accused of making plans to be involved in further disorder and is alleged to have been part of a Snapchat conversation called 'Riots'.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said the disorder in Darlington was significantly smaller than other outbreaks of violence across the North East in the wake of the killing of young girls in Southport.

She said the confrontation took place near a mosque in the town when around 60 Asian males were confronted by 30 white males.

A clip of Brandon Welch's TikTok livestream (Image: Durham Constabulary)

"The livestreams were noticed by officers who were off duty at the time and noticed the user name was Brandon Welch 1 and he was identified by the footage," Ms Masters added.

"He was heard to shout remarks such as 'P****' and went on to use terms like 'go on lads, EDL and let the town burn."

Miss Masters said he was also heard to shout 'f*** off and pigs' towards the police.

"He was then seen to walk towards a vehicle and say 'let's smash this up' but he was not seen to cause any damage to the vehicle," she added.

Brandon Welch (Image: Durham Constabulary)

Welch, of Warkworth Way, Darlington, pleaded guilty to violent disorder following the unrest on August 5.

John Nixon, mitigating, said his client had found it difficult serving time in custody while on remand due to his own health condition.

He said: "He has shown his remorse and regrets.

"He understands that he behaved in an appalling way and the impact it would have had on others."

Judge Francis Laird KC said a group protesters, mainly young men, were intent on approaching the mosque near the park as they were confronted by a number of men prepared to protect their place of worship.

Sentencing Welch, he said: "You were livestreaming the events, you were heard to shout 'Pakis', 'EDL', 'go on lads' and let the 'town burn'. Towards police officers you shouted - 'f*** off pigs' and you were seeking to encourage others to damage a car.

"Whilst this was going on, you were wearing a face covering.

"This was a planned incident which involved persistent and sustained unlawful activity on both sides. It involved serious acts of violence, including throwing missiles at police officers."

Judge Laird sentenced the vulnerable teenager, who suffers from cerebral palsy, to 15 months detention in a young offenders' institute.

"You chose to take part in widespread disorder, in fact, you were at the forefront as you live-streamed it," he said.

"The public in Darlington are rightly outraged by this type of behaviour."