A rioter who was jailed for violent disorder and abusing police over the summer has died in prison.
Prison sources told The Telegraph that Peter Lynch is believed to have taken his own life on Saturday night at HMP Moorland near Doncaster in south Yorkshire.
The 61-year old grandfather was jailed for two years and eight months on August 22 after pleading guilty to violent disorder in a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court.
The court was told Lynch went to the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on August 4 with a placard which called police officers, MPs and the media “corrupt.”
Peter Lynch was jailed earlier this year
South Yorkshire Police
An investigation has been launched by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. A prison service spokesman said: “HMP Moorland prisoner Peter Lynch died on Oct 19 2024. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”
At the sentencing hearing earlier this year, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said Lynch shouted “racist and provocative remarks” towards officers and called asylum seekers in the hotel “child killers.”
Body-worn camera footage was shown to the court of him screaming “you are protecting people who are killing our kids and raping them” at officers with riot shields.
Lynch, of Burman Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, was a “full participant” in the disorder, the court was told. “You were unquestionably endeavouring to rev up the situation the best you could,” the Recorder added.
Glass smashed at the West Melton Hotel
PA
It comes as more than 1,000 extra prisoners are set to be freed early this week as the Government puts the latest stage of its plan to ease jail overcrowding into action.
On Tuesday, around 1,100 inmates will be released as the policy is expanded to those serving sentences of five years or more. It follows the first release of around 1,700 prisoners from jails across England and Wales on September 10.
This came after Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans in July to cut temporarily the proportion of sentences inmates must serve behind bars from 50% to 40% as the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said overcrowding had pushed jails to the “point of collapse.”
A steady stream of eligible prisoners have been leaving jails under the changes ever since. The policy is expected to be reviewed within 18 months.
