A father-of-four rioter who was jailed for shouting abuse at police officers outside a hotel housing asylum seekers took his own life in prison, according to sources.
Peter Lynch, 61, a father of four, died on Saturday night at HMP Moorland near Doncaster, in south Yorkshire, the prison service confirmed.
Prison service sources told The Telegraph he took his own life, although it has not been officially confirmed.
He was serving a two year and eight months prison term after being jailed in August. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) is now carrying out an independent investigation into his death.
Lynch, who had diabetes, thyroid issues and angina, and recently suffered a heart attack, was put behind bars for screaming at police outside a hotel in Rotherham housing asylum seekers.
The grandfather, who was described as a conspiracy theorist, went to the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on August 4 waving a placard which accused police officers, MPs, Nasa, and the Environment Agency of being ‘corrupt’.
During his sentencing on August 22, Lynch, who was called a ‘family man’, pleaded guilty to violent disorder after he shouted ‘racist and provocative remarks’ towards police and called asylum seekers ‘child killers’.
Peter Lynch, 61, died on Saturday at HMP Moorland near Doncaster, in south Yorkshire, where he was serving a two year and eight months prison term
Lynch is seen here on police bodycam footage during the anti-immigration riots in Rotherham in August
The grandfather went to the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on August 4 waving a placard which accused police officers, MPs and the media of being ‘corrupt’
A prison service spokesman said: ‘HMP Moorland prisoner Peter Lynch died on October 19 2024. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.’
The PPO told MailOnline: ‘The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is carrying out an independent investigation into the death of Peter Lynch that occurred on 19 October 2024 at HMP Moorland.
‘We offer our condolences to his friends and family.’
Lynch’s sentencing hearing was told he was a ‘full participant’ in the riot and was filmed calling officers ‘scum’ after screaming: ‘You are protecting people who are killing our kids and raping them.’
Asked by Judge Jeremy Richardson KC about the meaning of the placard he was holding, Ian West, defending, said: ‘It’s a general conspiracy theory against anyone and any form of authority. This was slightly off-topic from what was going on that day.’
Judge Richardson told him: ‘You did not yourself attack any police officer, as far as can be detected, but what you did was encourage by your conduct others to behave violently and you were part of this mob.’
The father of four and grandfather of three was branded by the judge as a ‘disgraceful example of a grandfather’, reported the Guardian.
‘You were unquestionably endeavouring to rev up the situation the best you could,’ Judge Richardson added.
More than 50 police officers were left injured as a result of the riot in Rotherham on August 4, which saw windows smashed in and asylum seekers fearing for their lives
Violent thugs tried to set fire to the hotel reported to be housing asylum seekers and blocked the emergency exits in Rotherham on August 4
A police dog handler during the far-right demonstration outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham
Mr West told the court Lynch, from Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham, had been married for 36 years, has four adult children and three grandchildren.
He was working in the packing industry but was recently made unemployed, the barrister said.
Lynch was one of more than 50 men who have now been jailed at Sheffield Crown Court following the Rotherham rioting, which left 64 police officers injured, as well as four dogs and a horse.
Some 64 police officers were left injured as a result of the riot, as well as four dogs and a horse, which saw windows smashed in and asylum seekers fearing for their lives as the mob, whipped up by far-right rhetoric online, sought to storm the hotel.
Some scrawled aggressive graffiti on its walls, writing ‘scum’ and ‘get out England’ while others set bins alight and hurled them at hotel windows.
The riots were stoked as misinformation about the Southport stabbing suspect circulated online – claiming, falsely, that he was a Muslim asylum seeker and giving a fake name.
It was shared by a number of high-profile far right figures online and a Russian-affiliated ‘news’ website.
Lynch would have been eligible for the early release scheme which was recently introduced by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
The scheme reduces the proportion of a sentence most offenders must serve behind bars from 50 per cent to 40 per cent.
It does not apply to some inmates, including those convicted of sexual, domestic abuse or terrorism offences, or violent offenders serving sentences of more than four years.
