A SCOTTISH man has been jailed for racially motivated offences linked to rioting in Belfast.
Reece Dunnett, from Dunfermline in Fife, pleaded guilty to rioting and criminal damage offences at Laganside Crown Court on Friday.
He has been sentenced to 27 months, half of which will be spent in prison and half on licence after his release.
The 25-year-old committed the offences on August 3, 2024, after trouble arose in the Sandy Row and Donegall Road areas of south Belfast, where anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters clashed outside the city hall.
During the riots, police were assaulted and businesses were burnt in racially-motivated attacks.
Detective inspector McCartan said: “On Saturday, August 3, 2024, racially-motivated disorder broke out across Belfast.
“During this evening, Dunnett was recorded in police footage engaging in various acts of violent disorder in the Sandy Row and Donegall Road areas of south Belfast.
“He was observed helping a crowd pull down the fence to a building site in Blythe Street before collecting multiple pieces of masonry and a scaffold plank which he threw at police lines from a short distance.
“Dunnett also assisted a crowd with helping to overturn two vehicles in Wellwood Street before they were set alight in the middle of the road by others."
McCartan continued: “Police enquiries identified Mr Dunnett as a suspect, and he later presented at Musgrave Police Station where he was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, interviewed and subsequently charged.
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland will ensure that anyone who chooses to take part in this type of criminality is brought to justice, just as Dunnett has been today.
“We continue to appeal to anyone who has been the victim of, or has any information on, any crime to contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. We can assure you that we will always act on concerns and information we receive.”
