A man arrested after a demonstration at a hotel housing asylum seekers turned violent has been sentenced to two years behind bars.

Martin Peagram pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court for violent disorder after a protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on July 17. Multiple demonstrations have been held outside hotel since after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.

Essex Police had previously sought to speak to two people in relation to the protest outside The Bell Hotel on July 17, before 33-year-old Peagram and another man were charged.

The protest on July 17 began peacefully but escalated into what officers described as “scattered incidents of violence” targeting police and property. The force previously said a small number of people

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