‘Tornado’ mum jailed for pushing burning bin in Middlesbrough riots talks ‘making things right’
Stacey Vint was addicted to drugs and alcohol when she was arrested in Middlesbrough during the ‘riots’ of 2024 :: Now she speaks about her experience, taking accountability and wanting to make things right
Stacey Vint during the 2024 Middlesbrough riot, her police mugshot, and now, after serving her sentence and reflecting on her actions
A self-described ‘tornado’ mum jailed after she pushed a flaming wheelie bin towards police during the August 2024 disorder in Middlesbrough has spoken out after turning her life around. Stacey Vint was among the first rioters to be sentenced on Teesside following the ‘riots’ in the wake of the Southport attack.
Her face had been splashed on front pages and video footage of her falling to the ground while pushing the burning bin was shared widely online. After pleading guilty to violent disorder, the mum-of-five, then age 34, was jailed for 20 months.
But her time behind bars has allowed her to reflect on her actions, the consequences to the wider community and help her get clean from drugs and alcohol. Now, speaking openly about the addiction, homelessness and instability that shaped her life prior to August 2024, Stacey admits she was like a “tornado – not bothered what I destroyed in my path on the way”.
She had lost custody of her children and was moving between “sesh houses”, admitting she didn’t care about the “unlivable conditions” as long as there were drink and drugs. “I didn’t see a future for myself,” she said. “It was just completely unstoppable by then and I drank and took drugs to block everything out.”
On the day of the unrest, she said she had been awake for several days drinking and taking drugs when she became caught up in the crowd when on her way to the shops. “Within seconds everything turned to madness,” she said. “The atmosphere just took over me.”
Stacey Vint was jailed for 20 months
Stacey Vint being detained by police during an anti-immigration protest in Middlesbrough
From riots to redemption: Teesside woman speaks out after restorative justice meeting
“[In prison] I started to understand the impact of my actions,” she said. “People were frightened in their homes. Cars smashed up. Windows boarded. I had never thought about how my actions affected anyone else.”
Face from past
Seeing Stacey’s face on the front of a newspaper, Satti Collins, a retired primary school teacher, recognised Stacey as a child she had once taught in her classroom. She said: “I just wanted to know why she did that. I wanted to find her, but I didn’t know how.”
After her release from prison, Stacey, from South Bank, took part in a restorative justice process with Restorative Cleveland, the service run by Safer Communities across the Cleveland Police area. It brought Satti and Stacey face to face for the first time in more than 25 years.
For Stacey, the meeting was part of a wider commitment to taking responsibility. “I am not racist, far from it. But I was still part of something I should not have been,” she said. “I want to make things right.”
Talking about knowing Stacey as a child, Satti chuckled that she was a “bit lippy” but “as teachers we were very fond of you”. The former primary school teacher added: “She is brave and honest, and she has worked so hard to turn her life around. She is really making a difference in sharing her story with others.”
Stacey Vint, Paul Shaw and Satti Collins
Since taking part in the process, Stacey and Satti have remained in contact and have been sharing their experience across the region. They have spoken at schools, addressed representatives from 18 schools at a conference, and delivered sessions to police officers about the consequences of crime, addiction and getting caught up in disorder.
They also recently appeared at a community event organised by the Amal Project, which helped coordinate the clean-up following the riots, where they spoke about their experience as part of Resilient Women: A Celebration of Strength, Faith and Community.
Post-riot clean up in Middlesbrough
Addiction help signposting
If you or someone you know has been affected by addiction, you can call your local substance misuse services for support.
- ACT Middlesbrough substance misuse services 01642 726800
- Thrive (we are with you) Redcar 01642 265532-
- Change grow live Stockton 01642 673888
- STRIDE We are with you Darlington 01325 809 810
- START – Substance Misuse Service Hartlepool (01429) 285000
- North Yorkshire horizons,(Great Ayton) Northallerton 01723 330730
Paul Shaw, of Restorative Cleveland, said the case highlights what restorative justice can offer when people are willing to engage. “Restorative justice gives people the chance to be heard, to ask difficult questions and to understand the real impact of what has happened,” he said.
“It is not about excusing wrongdoing. It is about accountability, and in many cases that accountability can be deeper and more meaningful when people are able to hear directly about the harm caused.”
“This work is not soft, and it is not easy,” he added. “Done properly, it asks a great deal of everyone involved. But it can lead to conversations that are genuinely meaningful and can have a lasting impact.”
Restorative Cleveland works with victims and offenders across the Cleveland Police area and is funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland. A short film called Riot to Redemption – funded by Tees Million – has been made documenting her story with Restorative Cleveland.
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