Bike gang sentenced for Birmingham and Solihull rampage

Andrew Tomlinson Image copyright West Midlands Police
Image caption Andrew Tomlinson was described by police as the ringleader

Nearly 30 men have been sentenced for their part in a bike gang's five-hour rampage through Birmingham.

They branded their so-called ride out "Take Back the Streets", said police investigating the illegal rally of 2016.

Acting "as though they owned the road", riders on quad bikes, scramblers and mopeds mounted pavements, did wheelies between cars and "surrounded motorists who did not obey commands".

Two of the 29 convicted were jailed.

The prison sentences were handed down at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, with most of the others given a mix of suspended prison sentences and community orders in hearings earlier in the week.

Andrew Tomlinson, 29, of no fixed abode - described by police as the ringleader - was jailed for two years, while Matthew Sidwell, 30, of no fixed abode, was given a 12-month prison sentence.

All but one of the 29 admitted causing public nuisance.

Image copyright West Midlands Police
Image caption (Top, left to right) Matthew Sidwell, Joshua Birchall, Kaine Fattha, Keanu West (Bottom, left to right) Jason Phillips, James Tyler, James Ford, Jack Bentley

Jack Bentley, 24, of Marlborough Road, Castle Bromwich, denied the charge, but was found guilty by a jury and given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to carry out 50 hours of community work.

Locations during the rally of 26 June 2016 including Broad Street in Birmingham city centre, where there was a "massed rank of riders causing carnage", according to police.

They also rode into the neighbouring borough of Solihull.

The West Midlands force trawled through social media and police video footage to identify offenders.

Image copyright West Midlands Police
Image caption (Top, left to right) Adam Ballanger, Bradley Bateman, Daniel Birch, Daniel Draper (Bottom, left to right) John McDonald, Daniel Jones, Jermaine Saa, Geordie West

Ch Supt Dave Sturman said: "There is no justification for this type of behaviour: they risk serious injury to themselves, other road users and members of the public.

"They acted as though they owned the road, holding up traffic and aggressively surrounding motorists who didn't obey their commands."

Image copyright West Midlands Police
Image caption (Top, left to right) Robert Roye, Nicholas Dore, Michael Morton, Luke Fox (Bottom, left to right) Lewis Smith, Kieron Frater, Kenny Nguyen, Kenny Kington

Four men previously named by the BBC on entry of not-guilty pleas were discharged, and were among 19 accused but not convicted.

They are Ryan Pointon, 26, from Oak Road, Oldbury, plus Birmingham men John Murphy, 33, from Beechdene Grove, Erdington; Jordan Harris, 20, from Rilestone Road, Quinton; and Ethan Nerwall, 20, from Fairford Road, Erdington.

In addition to Tomlinson, Sidwell and Bentley, the convicted include:

Karim and Ward are due to be sentenced on 29 March.

Image copyright West Midlands Police
Image caption Ryan Wilson and Samuel Ward
Image copyright John Newton - West Midlands Online
Image caption Thomas Aston and Shaqeel Karim

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