Southport: Highly-paid nuclear worker jailed over riot

Also jailed were Jonathan Duerden, 31, and Joseph Buckley, 44, who also admitted violent disorder.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said Duerden, a handyman from Colne, Lancashire, threw a brick that bounced off the top of a police carrier and encouraged the crowd to advance towards police.

He told police he travelled to Southport to lay flowers at a vigil, but said he had taken a cocktail of drugs including cannabis, ketamine and cocaine along with alcohol.

Andrew McInnes, defending, told the court the defendant had ADHD, was barely literate or numerate and his family believed he had been addicted to cannabis since the age of 13.

He said: “It certainly seems this defendant is more of a follower than a leader.”

Duerden was jailed for two years.

The court heard Buckley, of Litherland, Merseyside, was the joint owner of a civil engineering business and was seen on footage throwing a brick towards police.

In interview, he said he had thrown the brick because he was angry after an officer “assaulted him with a shield”.

Des Lennon, defending, said Buckley had believed he was going to a peaceful vigil but had stayed for about two hours after violence broke out because of “morbid curiosity”.

Jailing him for 16 months, Judge Medland said: “You are an intelligent and capable person and you could readily have left. You didn’t, you involved yourself in this.”