A British man was on Wednesday jailed for three years for violent disorder during anti-Muslim riots last week, one of the first sentences from a wave of violence after the killing of three girls in northwest England.
Derek Drummond, 58, was sentenced to three years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court having pleaded guilty to violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker by punching a police officer.
The sentence is believed to be first imposed for a charge of violent disorder since trouble erupted after three young girls were killed in a knife attack in the seaside town of Southport.
“The genuine and collective grief of the residents of Southport was effectively hijacked by this callous behaviour,” Judge Andrew Menary said.
Another man, Declan Geiran, 29, was jailed for 30 months after pleading guilty to violent disorder and arson by setting the seatbelt of a police van on fire in Liverpool city centre on Aug. 3.
Liam Riley, 41, was jailed for 20 months having pleaded guilty to violent disorder and a racially-aggravated public order offence.