A couple was not sentenced to jail just for chanting slogans during U.K. riots

Context

After a deadly stabbing attack in Southport in late July, violent disorder fuelled by misinformation, anti-immigrant, and far-right sentiment flared across the U.K. According to BBC News, close to 500 people have been charged, and so far, at least 200 have been sentenced in connection with the violence in England and Northern Ireland. 

Online users posted about a case concerning a couple recently convicted for their involvement in riots in Hanley, central England.

The couple's image was shared with captions like "Ciaran sentenced to 32 months and Deana to 20 months for chanting slogans in the UK. Where is the UK heading?" (archived here).

Other users made similar remarks, "Couple chanting 'we want our country back' jailed after Hanley riots" (examples archived here and here).

Tech billionaire Elon Musk also shared a similar post on X that received more than 35 million views (archived here). 

However, Logically Facts found that the couple was sentenced after admitting to violent disorder during the riots, not merely for chanting slogans.

In fact

On August 30, Staffordshire police reported that the couple, Ciaran Lockett and Deana Evans, were convicted at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for a collective four years for their part in the riots in Hanley on August 3.

Evans was sentenced to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder and common assault of an emergency worker. Lockett admitted to violent disorder and was given a 32-month sentence.

Prosecutor Dylan Wagg stated that Lockett played a leading role in the disorder and was seen throwing rocks and missiles over police and towards a mosque in the center of Hanley.

According to local reports, Evans filmed the incident, and both shouted slogans such as, "You are all protecting nonces" and "We want our country back." The chanting was not the specific reason for their sentences.

So far, more than 60 people have been arrested over the violent disorder that broke out in Tamworth and Stoke-on-Trent in early August, according to the BBC.

The verdict

Ciaran Lockett and Deana Evans were not convicted just for chanting slogans during the Hanley riots in the U.K. The couple received their prison sentences after pleading guilty to violent disorder. Therefore, we marked the claim as false.