Last Sunday afternoon a homeless mother-of-five left her hotel room in Middlesbrough to nip to a nearby shop. On her way, 34-year-old Stacey Vint bumped into some locals she knew and joined them on their way to what had been described on social media as a “pro-British” protest in the town centre.
Five days later, she found herself being handed a 20-month prison sentence for violent disorder after becoming part of a 1,000-strong riot that saw police attacked as homes, cars and public buildings were vandalised.
