A senior judge has slammed the “twisted ideology” behind racist mobs of rioters who were egged on by “complete nonsense” being spread online about the murders of three young girls at a dance class in Southport.
Judge Andrew Menary KC, the Recorder of Liverpool, has now jailed five men who joined “baying mobs” in Southport and Liverpool during widespread disorder over the last week.
Violence first broke out in the wake of a stabbing spree at a Stockport dance class which left three young girls dead, as misinformation spread online that the suspected attacker was an illegal immigrant and asylum seeker.
Judge Menary said legitimate vigils and the local community’s grief had been “hijacked” by racists intent on violence, while police officers who joined a vigil to mourn the dead girls found themselves within hours under attack from so-called protesters.
And in a damning assessment of those behind the violence, Judge Menary said: “Quite what they were protesting about remains a mystery to many.”
On Wednesday, the judge sentenced Derek Drummond, 58, to three years in prison for punching a police officer in the face and throwing a brick at officers.
Declan Geiran, 29, was jailed for two and a half years for setting fire to a police van, while Liam Riley, 40, was also jailed for 20 months after a stand-off with abuse and hurling racist abuse.
On Thursday, Judge Menary sentenced William Nelson Morgan, 69, to two years and eight months after he armed himself with a cosh during the violence, while John O’Malley, 43, received the same sentence for being part of a mob pelting police with missiles.
Here are the judge’s words to all five rioters: “On Monday July 29, a little over a week ago now, a number of families in the town of Southport suffered devastating loss when three little girls and numerous other children and adults were brutally killed and seriously injured in a knife attack at a holiday dance class. While still shocked and bewildered by theseterrible events many residents in the town came together the following evening, on Tuesday July 30, for a vigil in support of the grieving families.
“However, at the same time there were others who saw these events as an opportunity to sow division and hatred and so published on social media and in printed leaflets false information about the supposed nationality, ethnicity and religion of the alleged attacker. Of course, all of this was complete nonsense but from that point on it has been used as a pretext for widespread violence, intimidation and damage, beginning that night in Southport and escalating subsequently across the country including in this city, Liverpool.
“On the evening of the vigil in Southport the police thought that they would be joining with a community in mourning. By the end of the night those same officerswere attempting to defend a part of the town and themselves in a pitched battle with a large and utterly lawless mob. It is estimated that there were about 1000 so called ‘protesters’ present, though quite what they were protesting about remains a mystery to many.
“The mob were quite deliberately targeting a mosque and as officers formed a cordon they were subjected to repeated foul abuse and threats, and deeply offensive racist language was directed at the mosque and anyone inside. Over several hours, windows were smashed, walls were demolished and the recovered bricks were hurled time and again at the police who were protecting the community.
“A police vehicle was set on fire and the mosque was very badly damaged, as were other buildings in the area. Over 50 police officers were injured. The people doing all ofthis were not exercising some right to freedom of expression or lawful protest. Rather, they were exploiting the anguish of others, either to further their own twisted ideology or more likely as an excuse for vandalism, intimidation and violence. They are criminals and they do not represent the decent people who were appalled by their behaviour and left to clean uptheir mess.
“Over the following days there was similar public disorder across the country and at various locations in Liverpool. On the night of Saturday, August 3 there was widespread disorder in the Walton area of the city when many more police officers were injured in clashes with a large crowd intent on causing as much trouble and damage as possible.
“I have seen a statement written by the Chief Constable of Merseyside setting out in clear terms the consequences of this offending on police resources and effectiveness, and the impact on individual officers who are literally on the front line. In addition to the physical and psychological harm caused to those officers and their families, their enforced absence from duty has increased the burden on those officers who remain fit to be deployed to protect the communities that they serve. The extra cost which must be borne by the public is enormous.
“Southport is a town where families live and work and grow old and take pride in the closeness of such a supportive community. Liverpool is a dynamic city full of wonderful people who have worked hard to develop a reputation for creativity and enterprise. Your actions have disgraced and damaged the reputations of that town and this city.
“It has long been recognised that there is an obligation on sentencing courts to do what they can to ensure the protection of the public, whether in their homes or in their businesses or in the streets, and to protect the places where they live and work.
“In seeking to achieve this aim the courts will typically impose severe sentences for offences involving or connected to large scale and violent public disorder,intended to provide both punishment and deterrence.
“Quite simply those who deliberately participate in such disorder, causing injury damage and fear to communities will inevitably be punished with sentences designed to deter others from similar activity. Other offences such as criminal damage or arson or threatening behaviour or assault committed in the context of widespread disorder will be regarded as aggravated forms of that offending.
“Also it matters not that a particular offender voluntarily present at the scene of a disturbance did not instigate the disorder, or play a leading role, or themselves throw a missile at the police or cause particular damage. As has often been observed in cases such as this it is an unavoidable feature of mass disorder that each participant's act, whatever it might have been when considered in isolation, is capable of stirring up and encouraging others to behave in a similar way, and that the harm to the public stems from the combined effect of what is done by everyone who is present.”
