Man jailed for more than two years for throwing glass and tree branches at police in Henry Nowak protest
Denis Read was the fourth man from our patch to appear in court this week for disorder during the Henry Nowak protests.
A judge has spoken of the “irony” of violent protesters being caught thanks to videos shared on social media by participants in the disorder in Southampton.
This week, multiple defendants have been sentenced for their roles in violence related to Henry Nowak protests in the Hampshire city - with multiple convicts from our local area.
Reece Robinson, 21 from Soberton Road, Havant, and Taylor Grundy, 22 from Gosport, have already been jailed for two years and two and a half years respectively, having both pleaded guilty to one count of violent disorder.
Noah Etherington, 18 from Rowbury Road, Havant, also pleaded guilty to the same charge; his sentencing was adjourned until Tuesday, June 30.
At Southampton Crown Court today (Friday, June 12), Judge William Mousley KC sentenced Denis Read, 28 from Sarisbury Green.
Siobhan Linsley, prosecuting, said that Read was at the front of the “aggressive” crowd and could be seen kicking a bin and throwing an item at close range at police, but missing, before throwing another seven items including a glass bottle, small tree branches and a long piece of plastic.
She said that Read, a kitchen porter, had four previous convictions for burglary, possession of cannabis and possession of a bladed article.
Thomas Acworth, defending, said: “Denis Read knows what he did was wrong, Denis Read knows just how stupid he was but he is sorry for what he did.”
Sentencing, Judge Mousley said: “It’s something of an irony that so many of these offenders have been caught and prosecuted because people in the crowd were filming what was going on, which they may not have envisaged at the time.”
Read was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
The demonstration involving 1,000 people started outside Southampton Central Police Station, before hundreds moved on to the Portswood area where Mr Nowak was killed, and where the violence started with, about 150 people remaining present, the court heard.
Anger had erupted after police body-worn video was released showing Mr Nowak being placed in handcuffs moments before he became unconscious and subsequently died.
Vickrum Digwa, 23, who lived in a nearby road with his family, was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 21 years for his murder.