Epping

Three men have been handed significant prison sentences for violent disorder during a protest outside an asylum hotel in Epping, Essex, where police officers were attacked and the town descended into chaos. The protest, sparked by the arrest of an asylum seeker convicted of sexual assault, saw far-right involvement and cost over £1.5 million in policing.

Rawand Abdulrahman, a 37-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker, has been found guilty of arson for starting fires at two taxpayer-funded migrant hotels in Essex, endangering lives according to Chelmsford Crown Court. He acknowledged setting the blazes but maintained he never intended the flames to spread beyond mattresses.

Epping Forest District Council is challenging a High Court decision that rejected its attempt to stop asylum seekers from being housed at a local hotel, a legal battle that has already cost £566,000.