Protester who battered youth worker with a flagpole in Portsmouth dodges jail

A man who attacked a youth worker as he left work during a protest has been spared jail.

Robert Roberts, 52 from White Lion Walk in Gosport, pleaded guilty last month to assaulting with actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place, after attacking a man who was leaving work at Somerstown Community Centre.

The incident, which took place on October 15 last year, happened amid nationwide protests about flags and national identity. A protest in Portsmouth, which was under police supervision, had gone without incident until Oliver Jarvis, a youth worker, cycled past after leaving work at the community centre.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Jarvis told the crowd that they “like to lick Nigel Farage’s boots,” after which he was pursued by a group of them.

While one person was live-streaming on Facebook, Mr Jarvis was cornered by the group before Roberts began striking him with a flagpole, hitting him at least five times.

This morning (Friday, April 17), Roberts appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing. There, Judge William Ashworth was told that the victim sustained injuries to his right eye, his left left and a cut to his chest. Roberts entered an early guilty plea.

The defendant had 32 previous convictions for 66 offences, including rape, assault and actual bodily harm. Wearing a short-sleeved white shirt, he looked down towards the benches during his sentencing, occasionally looking up at the judge.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Jarvis said: “I sincerely believe that kindness must be extended to whoever possible. I will not let what happened to me embitter me. In Portsmouth I have always felt comfortable; recently that has changed. There is an undercurrent of anxiety, and I feel this more acutely when entering or leaving my place of work.”

Sentencing, Judge Ashworth said: “You pleaded guilty, which is the main thing that saved you from an immediate custodial sentence.

“You assaulted somebody when there was an ongoing protest, which was being policed. The personal statement really lays plain the impact that such an offence, in public, has on people’s feelings and security.”

Judge Ashworth gave Roberts a suspended sentence of eight months, with 30 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay Mr Jarvis £500 in compensation. Roberts’ sentence is suspended for two years.