Inquest for grandad who died in jail after Manvers hotel riot arrest
The grandad was jailed for his part in disorder outside a hotel housing asylum seekers
A 61-year-old grandad found dead in his cell two months after being jailed for his part in disorder outside a South Yorkshire hotel housing asylum seekers behaved strangely after he was arrested and refused to talk to police, an inquest has hear
Peter Lynch was found unresponsive in his cell at HMP Moorland on 19 October 2024.
He was serving two years and eight months after pleading guilty to violent disorder and being part of unrest at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on August 4 the same year.
Mr Lynch, of Burman Road, Wath-upon-Dearne, had four adult children and three grandchildren.
He died from hanging at the Doncaster jail, a jury at Doncaster Coroner’s Court was told.
A two-week long inquest has heard that Mr Lynch was “confused” and behaved “strangely” after his arrest.
He called asylum seekers “child killers” and shouted racist comments at police during a riot at the hotel and was also pictured at the demo holding aloft a placard saying that politicians, police, judges, the media, MPs, NASA, reporters and a string of other “deep state” groups were all “corrupt.”
Lynch went to the hotel on 4 August and shouted "racist and provocative remarks" towards officers, the Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Sheffield Crown Court during his sentencing.
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.
More than 200 asylum seekers took shelter upstairs and staff barricaded themselves into the kitchen as violence erupted outside.
More than 60 police officers were injured in the violent scenes, as a marauding mob stormed the hotel and attempted to set it on fire.