Two other men have been jailed for their involvement in the riots
A man who punched a police officer in the face during far-right riots in Southport has been jailed for three years.
Derek Drummond, 58, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker during riots in the Merseyside town the day after three young girls were killed in a knife attack.
Drummond, who is from Southport, was accused of punching officer Thomas Ball and shouting ‘s***houses’ at them during the violence outside Southport mosque, the Guardian reports.
The officer was left with injuries including cuts and bruises to his arms.
Drummond was one of three men to be jailed for their involvement in the violent disorder.
Declan Geiran, 29, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violent disorder and arson, along with an unrelated count of malicious communications, whilst Liam Riley, 40, was jailed for 20 months for violent disorder and racially aggravated harassment.
In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said the actions of the three men would have “caused panic, revulsion and chaos in their local communities.”
It continued: “The three men sentenced today are the tip of the iceberg, and just the start of what will be a very painful process for many who foolishly chose to involve themselves in violent unrest. Many of those involved will be sent to prison for a long time.”
The violence in Southport was fuelled by the far-right and fake news spread on social media which claimed the suspect in the Southport stabbings was a Muslim asylum seeker.
This has sparked far-right, Islamophobic riots across England over the last week.
The 17-year-old arrested on suspicion of the Southport attack was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents. He is thought to have no known links to Islam.
Keir Starmer has promised those involved in the riots, which have taken place in England and Northern Ireland, will be rapidly processed through the courts.
On Tuesday, 18-year-old James Nelson became the first person in England to be jailed for his involvement in the riots.
More than 400 arrests have been made so far, and roughly 100 people have been charged in connection with the unrest.
More riots and gatherings are expected on Wednesday, including in London.
Last week, the prime minister labelled the riots as “far-right thuggery” and vowed that those involved would feel the “full force of the law.”
