The director of a Darlington-based KBB company has been remanded in custody over his alleged role in the ongoing riots being attributed to far-right extremists.
Joe MacKenzie, 28, is the director of DL3 Property Solutions, a company that offers Bathrooms, Kitchens, Plumbing & Heating services.
It has been reported that MacKenzie appeared in court accused of wearing a face covering while clashing with Middlesborough police in a riot on Sunday. He is accused of causing chaos while being part of a mob of around 20 men, where he was reportedly heard shouting “We are taking over, I f***ing hate you c***s”, and throwing objects at police officers for several hours.
Nick Woodhouse applied for bail on behalf of MacKenzie, and alleges that the accused had only gone into the centre of Middlesborough “out of curioisity”, and intended to return to his car before finding his route blocked by a police cordon.
In court, he denied using or threatening unlawful violence, and will now face trial at Teeside Magistrates Court at a later date. He has since been remanded in custody, after which he was led out of the courtroom, reportedly sobbing.
A total of 40 arrests were made over the riot in Middlesborough.
Following MacKenzie’s court appearance, DL3 Property Solutions has faced a deluge of negative comments on its most recent Instagram posts. One social media user quipped: “Hope you mend your ways before any [more] bathrooms”. Meanwhile, on a picture of one of the company’s recent bathroom renovation projects, another said: “I wonder if prison bathrooms will be up to standard”.
National unrest has broken out across Britain over the last week, which is said to have been has been fuelled by misinformation online that the teenage murder suspect in the Southport Stabbing was a Muslim refugee.
Prime Minister Kier Starmer has said that those accused of rioting, such as MacKenzie, can expect to be processed rapidly through the court system, and has warned that there will be “substantive sentencing” for those found guilty.
