Poor mental health spared a St Werburghs man who admitted riot in Bristol from a lengthy jail term. Carl Davis said he attended a peaceful protest in the city in March 21, 2021 - but admitted being drawn in as violence flared.
The initially peaceful protest was against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill, proposing to give extended power to police to shut down demonstrations. It started as a peaceful event.
But as the day wore on there were clashes between police and Kill the Bill protesters outside Bridewell Police Station. People were injured in the melee, including 44 police officers, and at least £212,000 worth of damage was caused to police property, including by fire.
