Rioter is much less gobby as he cries in court after police dog bit his arse

A man who took part in one of the far-right riots across England this week broke down in tears as he was convicted today.

Ryan Sheers, 28 and Steven Mailen, 54, both pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutors said Mailen joined in the fray in Hartlepool on Wednesday night and was ‘constantly in the face of officers’.

He was seen shouting and squaring up to them, only backing down when an officer struck him on the leg with a baton.

Sheers, a former McDonald’s worker, was filmed yelling insults at police officers, shouting ‘don’t touch me, I pay your wages’, and refused to back away as the cordon advanced.

He was bitten on the rear by a police dog as its handler approached him.

Sheers and Mailen covered their faces as they left court, and Sheers attempted to deny having taken part in the riot.

Sheers, who is also from Hartlepool, claimed he ‘didn’t get involved in nothing’

Asked why they got involved, he said: ‘Didn’t get involved in nothing.’

Asked if they regretted getting involved, he said: ‘We didn’t get involved.’

Asked why they pleaded guilty, Sheers said: ‘Wrong place, wrong time, sir.’

The pair, who have no prior convictions, were granted bail ahead of their sentencing on September 2.

Mailen, who is from Hartlepool, was ‘constantly in the face of officers’

Sheers, becoming visibly emotional, said: ‘Thank you judge, thank you.’

One of several riots in places including London, Manchester and Aldershot, Wednesday night’s disturbance in Hartlepool saw large packs of mostly men chucking bricks, missiles and glass bottles at officers.

Footage showed one lout sucker-punching an Asian man who was walking down the street in the city.

As he reels from the blow, people in the background can be heard saying ‘a p*** got banged’ and chanting ‘this is our town’.

A police car burns as officers are deployed on the streets of Hartlepool on Wednesday (Picture: PA)

The disorder was fuelled by false claims around the Southport stabbings (Picture: PA)

Four other men have so far been charged with offences relating to the rioting in Hartlepool, with many more to appear in the dock in connection with riots elsewhere.

Over 100 protesters were arrested during the demonstration in London led by Tommy Robinson, according to the Met.

The riots were fuelled by misinformation around the fatal stabbing of three young girls at a dance class in Southport on Monday.

Protest leaders and social media pages which took part in organising protests frequently shared false claims that the suspect in the attack is Muslim or an immigrant.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.