Four plead guilty to violent disorder in Southampton protests including throwing bins and chairs
The charges follow a riot in Southampton earlier this week
Four men have admitted charges of violent disorder after police came under attack during protests earlier in the week in response to the death of student Henry Nowak.
Eleven Hampshire police officers and a police dog were injured as missiles including wheelie bins, bricks and chairs were thrown on Tuesday (June 2) in Southampton.
Taylor Grundy, 22, of Gosport; Harry Varney, 34, of Briarswood, Southampton; Dillon Crawford, 29, of Wilton Avenue, Southampton; and Andrew Summerhayes, 38, of Banning Street, Romsey, appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court earlier today (Saturday, June 6).
They all admitted violent disorder and Summerhayes also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
The riot followed the release of video footage of 18-year-old Mr Nowak being handcuffed as he lay dying by officers who ignored him saying that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.
The student had suffered unsurvivable knife injuries inflicted by Vickrum Digwa, who lied to police that he had been a victim of a racist attack and pretended he had not hurt Mr Nowak, who was in fact mortally wounded.
(Video embedded in this story - warning it contains distressing scenes)
Prosecutor Robert Salame told the court that Grundy was accused of wheeling a “large, industrial bin” in the direction of police officers while Crawford was said to have used “large items including bins and chairs” against police officers.
Summerhayes was alleged to have thrown items including bins at police officers while Varney had been accused of refusing to move when asked by police officers and pushing against their shields.
The four defendants spoke from the dock to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth and were remanded in custody to appear at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday, June 10.
In a separate hearing, Kevin Reeves, 31, of Portswood Road, Southampton, and Andrew Riddett, 38, of Seacombe Green, Southampton, entered no plea to charges of violent disorder.
Mr Salame said Reeves is accused of using “a traffic cone and other large objects”, and encouraging others to use these “large objects”, against police officers during the protest.
He added that Riddett is accused of spitting at a police officer and being aggressive, and encouraging others to be violent against police officers during the protest.
Reeves and Riddett were also remanded in custody to appear at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday.
As previously reported by The News, a second man from Gosport and also faces charges and two Havant men have admitted violent disorder following the riot in the street where residential property was also damaged.
The treatment of the 18-year-old triggered a political row, with the Prime Minister urging politicians to heed the calls of Henry’s family not to use the case “to cause disturbances”.