Joe Vloggs (Joe Gough)

Semantic Summary

Joe Gough, operating as Joe Vloggs from Stoke-on-Trent, is notable for being one of the first UK auditors successfully prosecuted and convicted for violent conduct during a migrant hotel audit. His February 2025 conviction at Walsall — for storming a migrant hotel while masked, punching a security guard in the chest, and calling him "a monkey" — resulted in a 12-month community order, 25 rehabilitation days, and a landmark 5-year restraining order banning him from all hotels housing asylum seekers. Profiled by HOPE not hate as part of "the next generation of migrant hunters," Gough transitioned from Stoke street audits to migrant-hotel targeting alongside collaborator Christopher Lee Matthews (ST Audits), with whom he formed a duo that would "accompany each other to sites of temporary accommodation in order to wind-up and bait security, migrants and asylum seekers into a confrontation for views and revenue." Their partnership ended in a public feud documented by HOPE not hate in mid-2024. Gough's conviction represents a milestone in legal responses to the auditor-migrant-hunter phenomenon, demonstrating that criminal prosecution and geographically-specific restraining orders are viable enforcement tools against the physical escalation of anti-migrant content creation, distinct from the civil injunctions used against Raise the Colours' flag-placing activity.

| Field | Detail |

|-------|--------| | Platform | YouTube, Facebook | | Category | UK auditing / migrant hunter / far-right activism | | Status | Active (as of 2024), channel may have reduced output post-conviction | | Real Name | Joe Gough | | Location | Harplands, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire | | Subscribers | ~24,600 | | Total Views | ~268,000 | | Video Count | ~100 | | Channel Created | ~2022 | | YouTube Handle | @Joe.Vloggs / UC3FJ_PtogCS0LuuEJLUawJw | | Facebook | JOE Vloggs — 440 likes |

Overview

Joe Vloggs is the online alias of Joe Gough, a Stoke-on-Trent-based auditor and "migrant hunter" who first gained attention filming public audits in the Stoke area before transitioning to targeting migrant hotels. He is notable for being one of the first UK auditors to be successfully prosecuted and convicted for violent conduct during a migrant hotel audit, resulting in a restraining order banning him from hotels housing asylum seekers.

HOPE not hate describes Gough as part of "the next generation of migrant hunters" and notes he began his YouTube career auditing Stoke and the surrounding areas before moving into more aggressive content.

Content Focus

Migrant hotel audits: Filming outside and entering Home Office-contracted hotels housing asylum seekers
Stoke-on-Trent street audits: Original content focus — filming police, security, and public spaces in Stoke
Anti-migrant protest coverage: Attending and filming demonstrations
Confrontational style: Known for aggressive approach, wearing masks during audits, and baiting staff and residents

Collaboration with ST Audits

Gough frequently collaborated with Christopher Lee Matthews (AKA ST Audits), another Stoke-based migrant hunter. The two were described by HOPE not hate as a duo who "accompany each other to sites of temporary accommodation, in order to wind-up and bait security, migrants and asylum seekers into a confrontation for views and revenue."

Their partnership ended in a public feud in mid-2024, with HOPE not hate documenting "an online feud raging between two Stoke-on-Trent based 'migrant hunters', Joe Gough (AKA 'Joe Vloggs') and Christopher Matthews (AKA 'ST Audits')." Matthews reportedly deleted his account amid a "volley of claims and counterclaims."

Conviction — Walsall Migrant Hotel Attack (2025)

Gough was convicted for an incident at a Walsall migrant hotel where he:

Stormed the hotel while wearing a mask
Punched a security guard in the chest
Called the guard "a monkey" (racially aggravated abuse)
The confrontation was filmed and the video was shown to the court

Sentence (February 2025):

12-month community order
25 rehabilitation activity requirement days
5-year restraining order banning him from entering any hotel used to house migrants or asylum seekers

Court details:

Judge Simon Ward presided
Reported by Express & Star (28 February 2025)
Gough, of Harplands, Stoke-on-Trent

Source: Express & Star — "Racist YouTuber who stormed Walsall migrant hotel before racially abusing staff given five year restraining order" (Feb 2025)

Media Coverage

Express & Star (28 Feb 2025): "Racist YouTuber who stormed Walsall migrant hotel before racially abusing staff given five year restraining order" — detailed court report of conviction and sentence
HOPE not hate (7 May 2024): "The Next Generation of Migrant Hunters?" — profiles Gough as part of new wave of YouTube migrant hunters
HOPE not hate (29 May 2024): "From wrestler to 'migrant hunter': the real ST Audits" — mentions Gough as ST Audits' collaborator
HOPE not hate (16 July 2024): "Anti-Muslim activism in The Potteries" — documents feud between Gough and Matthews/ST Audits
Novara Media (18 Dec 2025): "Meet the YouTubers Terrorising Britain for Clicks" — references Gough as Matthews' collaborator

Political Positioning

HOPE not hate categorises Gough as a "migrant hunter" — a subset of the auditor movement that specifically targets migrant accommodation. His content and conviction place him within the far-right activist ecosystem, distinct from the broader police-accountability auditor genre.

References

Express & Star (28 Feb 2025): Racist YouTuber who stormed Walsall migrant hotel before racially abusing staff given five year restraining order — https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2025/02/28/racist-youtuber-who-stormed-walsall-migrant-hotel-before-racially-abusing-staff-given-five-year-restraining-order/
HOPE not hate (7 May 2024): The Next Generation of Migrant Hunters? — https://hopenothate.org.uk/2024/05/07/the-next-generation-of-migrant-hunters/
HOPE not hate (29 May 2024): From wrestler to "migrant hunter": the real ST Audits
HOPE not hate (16 Jul 2024): Anti-Muslim activism in The Potteries
Novara Media (18 Dec 2025): Meet the YouTubers Terrorising Britain for Clicks
YouTubers.me stats: JOE VLOGGS — ~24.6K subs, ~268K views

Known Associations

Auto-generated from cross-references in this archive.

ST Audits — 19 mentions
Street Audits — 2 mentions
Raise the Colours — 1 mention

Joe Vloggs (Joe Gough)

Joe Vloggs (Joe Gough)

Semantic Summary

Overview

Content Focus

Collaboration with ST Audits

Conviction — Walsall Migrant Hotel Attack (2025)

Media Coverage

Political Positioning

Links

References

Known Associations

Tags