A Southport rioter seen in viral footage being hit by bricks in the head and groin while taunting police has been jailed for violent disorder.
Following the vigil for three children killed in a stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in July, Brian Spencer was captured on CCTV footage acting aggressively and as part of a mob throwing bricks at officers, Merseyside Police said.
As anger boiled over into rioting in Southport, which would later spread to towns and cities across the country, the 40-year-old was identified on CCTV repeatedly punching a police vehicle and picking up and throwing wheelie bins at officers.
But in a clip which quickly went viral on social media, Spencer was seen being hit in the head by a projectile while appearing to mock riot police, moments before another missile struck him in the groin, causing him to stagger back into the crowd.
While police later took him hospital to receive treatment for the head injury he had sustained, Spencer then went on to racially abuse a fellow patient the following day.
Spencer, of Lytham Road in Southport, was jailed for two years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, after pleading guilty to violent disorder during the riots on 30 July.
He was also jailed after admitting to racially/religiously aggravated harrassment at Southport Hospital the following day.
Detective Inspector Paula Jones said: “The actions of the people who took part in the disorder was extremely serious and many officers were injured during the despicable scenes as bricks, bins and other missiles were thrown at them.
“Spencer was involved in the violence and will now spend a significant amount of time in prison. We continue to review footage and information as it comes in, and we will not stop until we’ve put everyone we possibly can before the courts.”
A total of 163 people have now been arrested by Merseyside Police in connection with the riots, with 88 people sentenced to a total of more than 182 years in prison. As of 13 November, there had been 1,711 arrests and 1,041 charges brought nationwide.
More than 300 police officers were injured and 54 admitted to hospital during violent clashes in towns and cities across the UK this summer, following the mass stabbing in which three young girls – Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar – were killed, and 10 others wounded.
Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, has been charged with the murders of the three girls along with 13 other offences.
Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf for all charges after he failed to speak at a court appearance last Wednesday.
HM chief inspector of constabulary Andy Cooke warned in a report last week that police failed to see the threat of far-right disorder following the Southport stabbing despite a series of “precursor” events inflaming tensions, labelling the incident a “wake-up call” for forces.
Misinformation about the alleged Southport attacker’s identity had been widely shared on social media prior to the violence breaking out.
