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Tommy Robinson fined £900 for contempt of court

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August 1, 2022
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English Defence League founder has 14 days to pay

Tommy Robinson has been fined £900 for failing to turn up at a High Court hearing to be questioned about his finances.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had been expected at a hearing in March over an unpaid legal bill after he lost a libel case brought against him by a Syrian teenager last year.

Jamal Hijazi successfully sued Robinson after the then-schoolboy was assaulted at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.

After the incident went viral, Robinson made false claims, including about Mr Hijazi attacking girls in his school, leading to the libel case.

Following a pre-trial hearing in November 2020, the English Defence League founder was ordered to pay more than £43,000 in legal costs.

Earlier this year, Mr Hijazi’s lawyers successfully applied for an order requiring Robinson to return to court to answer questions about his finances on March 22, but the 39-year-old failed to attend.

He was summonsed to court to face contempt proceedings in April and, at hearing on Monday, was handed a £900 penalty after admitting being in contempt of court.

Mr Justice Nicklin said: “I’ve decided to punish Mr Yaxley-Lennon’s contempt by imposing a fine.”

He added that Robinson now has 14 days to pay and could be liable to serve 28 days in prison if he fails to do so.

The High Court was previously told that Robinson was facing mental health issues at the time of the March hearing, which he claimed were a result of being harassed.

However, on Monday, Mr Justice Nicklin said: “Whatever psychiatric issues Mr Lennon had, they did not prevent him from coming to the hearing that he failed to turn up at.”

The judge later said Robinson had recently published a video asking for support, including the words “Don’t let them lock Tommy up again” and “Keep him free of the clutches of the corrupt establishment”.

Mr Justice Nicklin said he had decided to fine Robinson prior to seeing the video and that “it was never serious enough to justify a period of imprisonment”.

The High Court judge also noted that Robinson had legal aid for his barrister for Monday’s hearing, adding: “He was in no need for donations for his representation today, the state was paying for it.”

In June, Robinson appeared at the High Court to be questioned over his finances at the postponed hearing, where he told the court that, in a two-year period prior to declaring bankruptcy, he spent around £100,000 on gambling – largely in casinos.

Robinson was previously jailed after being found in contempt of court after he filmed men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage on Facebook, in breach of a reporting ban, outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.

He was sentenced to 13 months in jail after being found in contempt of court on the day of the broadcast but served just two months before being freed after that finding of contempt was overturned by the Court of Appeal in August 2018.

The case was then referred back to the Attorney General and he was jailed again in July 2019.

Following Mr Hijazi’s successful libel claim, Mr Justice Nicklin ordered Robinson to pay him damages of £100,000 and his legal costs, thought to be around £500,000.

The Independent

Tommy Robinson banned from all football matches for 4 years after punching England fan

By
December 15, 2020
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EXCLUSIVE The far right extremist, 38, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was filmed punching a Three Lions fan to the ground in Portugal

Far right extremist Tommy Robinson has been banned from all football matches – including England – at home and abroad for four years.

The thug, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, 38, was filmed punching a Three Lions fan to the ground in Portugal during the Nations League finals.

That footage, obtained by the Mirror, was used by Bedfordshire Police to bring a civil case against Robinson this week.

It resulted in an order banning him from “all regulated football matches, home and abroad” for four years – including England at the next two Euro tournaments and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

Dep Chief Constable Mark Roberts, National Police Chiefs’ Council Football Policing Lead, said: “This is a really positive result.”

Robinson was seen thumping a fan before England’s 3-1 defeat to Holland in Guimaraes on June 6, 2019.

The former English Defence League leader approached the England fan, who told him: “You do not represent me.”

A witness said: “Robinson throws a punch. This is from a man trying to become an MEP.” Robinson said the fan had been rowdy and abusive.

Robinson had posted a message before the game saying: “No football banning order here, mate.”

The remark was believed to refer to a banning order Bedfordshire Police applied for over a flag reading “F*** ISIS” at Euro 2016. They said it was inciting hatred against Muslims but he successfully challenged it.

The force worked with the UK Football Policing Unit to obtain the order banning him from football matches.

He was also ordered to pay £3,600 in costs.

A court spokeswoman confirmed the order was granted for “causing or contributing to violence”.

In 2011, Robinson was convicted of hooliganism for leading 100 Luton Town fans in a clash with Newport County fans.

He lost his £5,000 deposit in the European election last year after getting just 2.2% of the vote in the North West.

After the incident in Portugal, he said: “I was with my wife. If people get physical, I am not going to wait for them to attack me… the man needs to keep his views to himself.”

Daily Mirror

Pub killer jailed for eight years.

By
May 22, 2020
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COVENTRY killer Andrew Luke Henson was today starting an eight- year jail sentence for the drugs-related shooting of a man in a city pub.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court unanimously cleared self-confessed drugs dealer Henson of murder but found him guilty of manslaughter on the basis of provocation because he was being assaulted with knives and bottles at the time.

Lee Michael Moore and Paul Trevor Case, who were jointly charged along with Henson of murder, were acquitted.

The jury took a little less than three hours to agree on their verdict and reject the claim that the three had plotted to kill Richard Waring, of Potters Green, Coventry.

Father-of-two Mr Waring was shot in the back with a sawn-off shotgun in the Crow in the Oak pub in Lockhurst Lane, Foleshill, on January 29 last year.

Jailing Henson, Judge Michael Astill said: “The evidence clearly shows you were subjected to a violent and vicious attack by others. It was a concerted attack when you were defenceless and alone. You reacted by losing your self control.”

Henson, aged 26, of Kingfield Road, Foleshill, was being beaten by a group of men in the pub when Mr Moore and Mr Case arrived to meet him.

Mr Moore was carrying a sawn-off shotgun retrieved from under the floorboards of his home in Guild Road, Foleshill. He claimed he brought it at the request of Henson who was going to pass it on to a criminal contact.

Mr Case took the gun and held it in the air to try to stop the attack on his friend. Henson tossed aside a bar stool he was using to fend off bottles and blows, grabbed the gun and shot Mr Waring, who was leaving the pub.

Although Mr Waring’s friends were attacking Henson, the court heard he was not involved.

Afterwards all three went on the run, claiming they feared reprisal attacks, but were arrested a few days later.

The judge recorded not guilty verdicts against Mr Moore, aged 26, and Mr Case, aged 32, of Cheylesmore, in relation to a further offence of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. The same charge against Henson was allowed to lie on the file.

After the hearing Det Supt Barrie Simpson, who led the investigation, said: “It is another case where drugs and firearms have cost a life. We must continue the effort to combat drugs and firearms in the West Midlands.”

Free Library

From 2000

Thanks to Lee Garrett for the tip off.

Sex offender fled to Spain after stuffing pillows in bed to escape

By
March 5, 2020
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A sex offender escaped from a care centre and fled to Spain, shortly after being spotted applying for his first passport, a judge heard.

Twenty-year-old Jordan Goodwin, also known as Jordan Hagan, stuffed pillows under the covers of his bed to give the impression he was sleeping, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Then he forced open a secure window and ran away from the Huntercombe Centre in Underhill Street, Langley, that caters for people with mental health problems, on March 13.

He left a letter of explanation at the home of his partner and flew out of the country, said Mr Andrew Tucker, prosecuting.

He added: “He got to Spain but was arrested pretty quickly.

“A number of weeks earlier he had been seen filling in a passport application form and when asked why came up with some innocuous reason.”

But Judge Amjad Nawaz asked: “What other purpose could there be for a passport?”

The defendant had been made the subject of an indefinite hospital order at Derby Crown Court in 2011 after committing a serious sexual offence at the age of 12, it was said.

A European Arrest Warrant was issued four days after he vanished and, on March 24, he was flown from Madrid to Birmingham.

He was then detained by police at the airport on landing.

Mr Simon Hanns, defending, said: “There was some element of planning but whether the authorities should have been aware of this is another matter.

“He feels that the hospital order is no longer appropriate and he should now be back in society.”

Goodwin admitted escaping from custody and was given six months detention in a Young Offenders Institution.

However, he had already spent more than half the term in custody waiting for the case to be resolved.

That meant he was eligible for immediate release and could be transferred to a secure unit in Northamptonshire to continue his treatment.

Judge Nawaz told him: “You feel you are being dealt with unfairly by still being held on the hospital order but that is a matter for professionals and a tribunal to decide.

“I am keeping the sentence short to allow you to return to this order because that is in the best interest of, not just you, but also the general public.”

Express & Star.

From 2017

Thank to making-of-a-nazi on Twitter

Eaglescliffe weapons cache man Simon Flint jailed

By
December 16, 2019
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A man who amassed an arsenal of weapons including explosives, knives and rocket mortars has been jailed for 30 months.

Simon Flint was arrested after a row with youths near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, in June in which he pointed a loaded crossbow at them.

He had earlier admitted affray and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Teesside Crown Court heard the 42-year-old, of Meadowfield Drive, Eaglescliffe, had a fixation with weapons.

After his arrest, police searched a camper van in which he was living and found a “significant collection” of weapons, which also included swords, pepper spray and chemicals that could be used to make improvised explosive devices.

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, told the court police searched his electronic devices and found videos of him blowing up an apple, a cucumber and a laptop computer.

He told police he thought the effect was “hilarious”, but he understood it may be illegal.

The court heard he told officers he had a fascination with “making things go bang”.

‘Unorthodox interests’

Flint had got into a row with some youths and when a dog walker went to be a peace-maker, the defendant pointed his crossbow at them, Mr Perks said.

Mr Perks said Flint was found to possess a number of stab vests, adding: “I think these acquisitions stem from a skewed sense of his need to defend himself.”

Mark Styles, defending, said: “His unorthodox interests have led to the situation he is now in.

“We have to concede he is certainly eccentric but he is not mentally ill.”

Judge Howard Crowson jailed him for two-and-a-half years, giving Flint credit for his guilty pleas.

Outside court, Gary Fotherill of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Flint appears to have been motivated by a compulsion to master the technical process of constructing improvised explosive devices and to use these to blow up inanimate objects for his own entertainment.”

BBC News

Man admits explosive making equipment and weapons charges

By
December 9, 2019
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A MAN has pleaded guilty to a number of charges in connection with the possession of weapons and explosive making equipment.

Simon Flint had a huge collection of weapons, including more than 100 knives, improvised explosive crossbow bolts and a catalogue of components to build his own bombs, including potential pipe bombs.

The 42-year-old was due to stand trial this morning after being charged with seven offences following a police operation in Bishop Auckland on Friday, June 28.

However, this morning he pleaded guilty to three charges – affray and two charges of possession of explosive substances. He had already pleaded guilty to a number of offences at Durham Crown Court.

olyon Perks, prosecuting, said the defendant accepted that he had acquired the parts needed to construct an improvised explosive device.

He added that the defendant used improvised devices to blow up fruit and a laptop computer.

Mr Flint, who has an address at Meadowfield Drive, Eaglescliffe, but is understood to have lived in a campervan for a number of years, was charged with making threats to kill, possession of an explosive substance, two charges of possession of offensive weapons, possession of a weapon for the discharge of pepper spray, two charges of possession of a bladed article in public and a public order offence.

Among the items listed in the charges were three crossbows, a friction locking baton, lock knives and swords including one measuring 2ft long.

The precision engineer is also accused of possession of an explosive black powder, a weapon designed to discharge a noxious gas or liquid – namely pepper spray, and of using abusive, threatening or insulting words or behaviour to cause alarm.

Judge Howard Crowson adjourned the case for sentence and remanded Flint into custody.

He said: “We have admitted your offences and the next stage is sentencing but we will want to that right and it can be a little complicated, this piece of the law, so the lawyers are going to make sure they help me as much as they can and get this right.”

Durham teen neo-Nazi became ‘living dead’

By
November 20, 2019
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The youngest person to be convicted of planning a terrorist attack in the UK identified potential targets in his hometown, began drafting a “guerrilla warfare” manual and tried to obtain a chemical used in terrorist bombings. But the case also focused on the radicalisation process itself, hearing the 16-year-old’s preparations for an attack involved a deliberate effort to dehumanise himself and become like the “living dead”.

The teenager chronicled his regression in a journal, writing “at one point or another I can look back and see if I was any different.” Aged 14, he noted: “I wasn’t always a fascist, my red pilling process was slower than most”, adding that less than two years earlier he advocated “punk rock ideals and Marxism”.

The trial heard much about his ideology – an amalgam of neo-Nazism, Satanism and misanthropy, allied to the belief that a collapse of civilisation should be “accelerated” through acts of violence and criminality.

He was first interviewed by police in autumn 2017, when his school reported a Twitter account he used to express support for the outlawed British neo-Nazi group National Action and posed for a photo with ex-English Defence League leader, Tommy Robinson.

The boy, who cannot be identified because of his age, promised to close the profile and he spent time with the government de-radicalisation scheme, Prevent. But rather than moderating his behaviour, he set out to immerse himself in extreme right-wing literature and online networks.

“A fascist has an obligation to absorb a lot of words,” he recorded.

His immersion came at a time of exceptional depravity. National Action had been banned in 2016, but had generated several small British spin-offs, some of which sought to imitate the militant American group, Atomwaffen Division.

The origins of this network were in an online neo-Nazi forum, but by the time it closed in 2017 fascists from around the world were already migrating to new platforms. These digital spaces promote an increasingly berserk world view that proclaims hatred of all, worships a pantheon of “saints” comprising various terrorists and murderers, and demands a commitment to the destruction of society through so-called “accelerationism”.

Online channels can gain thousands of followers, all using a shared vocabulary and set of references, although there are disputes over people’s ideological commitment or supernatural beliefs, in which Adolf Hitler is often regarded as a divinity.

Central influences include the American neo-Nazi James Mason, who has been convicted of indecent images offences involving a child, and individuals associated with the occult organisation Order of Nine Angles – described by the prosecution as the “most prominent and recognisable link between Satanism and the extreme right”.

The result is a culture in which deviancy and criminality are encouraged – sexual violence and paedophilia are constant themes – with anything justified as long as it is thought to destabilise society and defy what is characterised as slavish morality.

The Durham teenager absorbed these ideas, reading any recommended books and discussing them in his journal, gradually following the logic of his ideology towards a planned attack. In October 2018, he wrote that earlier phases of his political activities, such as debating with others, had “accomplished nothing” and merely got him into trouble at school.

“And now here I am an accelerationist,” he added.

The boy actively sought to alter himself in line with the texts he read and included the instruction “shed empathy” on a list of things to do. He adopted an online pseudonym, speaking constantly with other neo-Nazis, telling a forum that his Satanic belief system involved programming oneself to lose any feelings of guilt – becoming the living dead in the process.

“I believe there is primal enjoyment to be had in sadism,” he wrote in his journal, stating: “How wonderful it is to be an amoral individual”.

He set his sights on his hometown of Durham, searching for synagogues and compiling a list of local places “worth attacking”. He collected explosives manuals and also tried to secure a dangerous chemical from a fellow extremist in the United States.

When the boy was arrested outside his home in March, detectives found a coded note in his pocket, saying: “Killing is probably easier than your paranoid mind thinks. You’re just not used to it. Most were caught because they got sloppy.”

At trial, the boy denied being a neo-Nazi, saying his writings were an extremist “alter ego” generated by feelings of social isolation and created in order to shock others and find a sense of belonging online. He told jurors his political beliefs were “centre right” and that he had a poster on his bedroom wall signed by Nigel Farage.

Prosecutors said the boy was lying to the jury about the fake “persona” and that his actions were not confined to diaries or the internet. They originally alleged that he sexually touched a child as part of his preparations for an attack, saying it was a deliberate “desensitisation technique”, although claims about his sexual conduct were ruled inadmissible during pre-trial hearings and will now be heard in a youth court.

Teenagers Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski and Michal Szewczuk pleaded guilty to terror offences

According to police, eight terrorist plots inspired by right-wing ideologies have been stopped since March 2017. They say there is a “spectrum” of such ideologies that have the potential to generate violence, with the variant adopted by the Durham defendant regarded as perhaps the most extreme of all.

He is now the fourth teenager to be convicted of terrorism offences in the UK over the past year, in which the same set of influences – accelerationism and Satanism – have been central.

One of the many troubling aspects of this case is that a child traversed the full spectrum of right-wing extremism before he had even left school.

BBC News

Two years in jail for far-right extremist who downloaded terror manuals

By
October 4, 2019
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A FAR-RIGHT extremist who downloaded “sinister, violent and disturbing” terrorist material has been sentenced to an extended jail sentence.

David Dudgeon, 43, collected a range of disturbing books and videos featuring ISIS beheadings, material on Holocaust denial and how to make explosives.

The online material also contained an edition of the infamous The Anarchist Cookbook and referenced details on how to murder people by targeting vital organs with knives.

The manuals and videos showed techniques on how to smuggle bombs onto planes, the manufacture of black powder explosives and the use of biological weapons.

The terror-related collection included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting, Prison Killing Techniques and Krav Maga Knife Attacks.

Dudgeon admitted possessing material useful to committing or preparing an act of terrorism over a six-year period when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year.

He returned for sentencing today (Friday), where Sheriff Michael O’Grady QC told him he had found the case “concerning and unusual”.

Sheriff O’Grady said: “The websites you accessed and the material you gleaned from them were sinister, violent and disturbing.

“Due to the circumstances and the nature of the charge, I am bound to impose a custodial sentence.”

Dudgeon was jailed for two years backdated to April 1.

He will also be supervised for 12 months following his release from prison.

Previously, the court heard that Dudgeon, from McLachlan Gardens, Prestonpans, was caught after a meeting between him and his psychiatrist had raised “concerns he posed a threat to public safety”.

Police were contacted in March and officers attended at the extremist’s home with a search warrant three days later and confiscated various items of computer equipment.

Prosecutor Emma Mitchell said Dudgeon’s internet history showed he had visited websites of “an extreme right-wing nature” including Christian fundamentalism, ISIS murder videos and sites about former English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.

The terror manuals were also said to include instructions on how to manufacture explosives, create biological weapons and how to inflict fatal and non-fatal blows using a knife.

The fiscal added that a series of terror booklets with titles including Knife Talk 1 – The Art and Science of Knife Making, Deadly Knife Fighting Techniques Revealed and Russian Knife Fighting Combat were all downloaded and accessed by Dudgeon on July 1, 2015.

Following a no comment police interview, Dudgeon was subsequently cautioned and charged under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Today, solicitor Lesley Cunningham, defending, said that her client had lived “a fairly isolated existence” and had been “struggling for some time with paranoid thoughts”.

Ms Cunningham added that Dudgeon had stopped taking his psychotic medication around the time he had downloaded the material and had only viewed it on the same day he had downloaded it.

The lawyer added that Dudgeon was prone to spending “up to 12 hours a day online” and had become “fixated on conspiracy theories”.

Dudgeon pleaded guilty to possessing material useful to committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a quantity of texts, manuals, booklets, leaflets and video files relating to the production of chemical and biological weapons and techniques for knife fighting.

He also admitted possessing electronic copies of various terror-related documents at his home address between March 6, 2013, and March 29 this year.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “As a result of an investigation led by Police Scotland’s East Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit, 43-year-old David Dudgeon was arrested at his home in Prestonpans on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

“He subsequently pled guilty to an offence under the Terrorism Act at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday, June 25, and was remanded in custody until he was sentenced.

“We remain committed to keeping Scotland’s communities safe and will investigate any offences linked to terrorism with the utmost seriousness to bring those involved to justice.

“Police Scotland supports the national Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) campaign that aims to promote vigilance from our communities so that any activity that may be linked to terrorism can be reported to police and acted upon accordingly.

“Our advice in relation to these matters remains the same: be alert, not alarmed, but contact us immediately with any concerns you may have.

“Members of the public can report suspicious activity to the police by calling Police Scotland on 101 or by calling or visiting the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or gov.uk/ACT”

East Lothian Courier

Six sentenced following violent disorder in Whitehall

By
October 1, 2019
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Six individuals are the last in a group of 14 to be jailed for almost 18 years for their part in violent disorder in Whitehall on 9 June 2018.

The following pleaded guilty to violent disorder and were sentenced on Monday, 30 September:

– Mitchell Feneck, 21 (17.07.98) of Haverfordwest, Dyfed was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment.

– Max Hammet-Millay, 22 (9.05.97) of Wenlock Road, N1 was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

– Mark Ransome, 25 (7.02.94) of Romford Road, RM5 was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

– James Thomas, 28 (24.10.90) of Priory View Road, Burton, Dorset was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.

– John Cummings, 49 (16.09.70) of Hunters Hall Road, Dagenham, Essex was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.

– Charles Haig, 24 (22.03.95) of East Street, Seaford, East Sussex was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

An additional eight defendants were sentenced on Friday, 27 September having previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder. They are:

– Danny Grealey, 43 (28.06.76) of Ebberns Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.

– Kate Beveridge, 35 (04.04.84) of Pool Foot Lane, Singleton, Lancashire was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

– Robert Sandford, 47 (27.11.71) of Bolton Road, Hungerhill, Bolton was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment.

– Keith O’Sullivan, 40 (22.04.79) of Holmstead Way, Luton was sentenced to 23 months’ imprisonment.

– Andrew McLean, 20 (18.11.98) of Field Street, Wolverhampton was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.

– David Anderson, 23 (06.05.95) of Moraine Drive, Glasgow was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment.

– Kai Smith, 19 (09.10.99) of Middleton Close, London, E4 was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.

– Carl Gustav Backland, 59 (14.11.59) of Grafton Way, Camden was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment.

On 9 June 2018, serious disorder broke out at a ‘Free Tommy Robinson’ demonstration in Whitehall. Scaffolding, glass bottles and items of street furniture, including heavy barriers, were thrown at police. More than 20 officers suffered injuries. Serious disruption was caused to members of the public, local businesses and the local community as a result.

Operation Augusta was launched by the Met to bring those involved in the disorder to justice.

Detective Sergeant Matt Hearing, who led the Operation Augusta team, said: “This investigation proved extremely challenging with hundreds of hours of CCTV, video and Body Worn Video to examine. However, such was the weight of evidence brought against those charged, that all pleaded guilty.

“Peaceful protest plays an important role in our society. However, the actions of some involved in this demonstration showed a contempt both for the law and the police. Officers that day were there to ensure the safety of all those taking part, yet were met with abuse and violence.”

Robert Hutchinson, prosecutor from the London CPS complex casework unit, said: “The terrifying disorder wreaked by these individuals in the heart of London on 9 June 2018, was inexcusable. Protestors set out to intimidate and hurt police, injuring more than 20 officers who were protecting the public and tourists in Central London on the day of Trooping of the Colour, and who should have been able to go about their duties without fear of violence.

“This was a complex case and has involved exceptionally close liaison with the police from an early stage to determine appropriate charges that reflected the seriousness of their crimes. The strong case we built ultimately left the defendants with no choice but to plead guilty.

“The sentences passed should serve as a warning that those who direct violence towards police and act in this way will face prosecution and potentially prison.”

Met Police

*** Note *** We have been asked to point out that Carl Gustav Backland is not a member of the far-right and was caught up in the violence on the day whilst trying to get to the counter protest.

Eight sentenced following violent disorder in Whitehall

By
September 27, 2019
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Eight individuals involved in violent disorder which took place in Whitehall on 9 June 2018, have been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court, having pleaded guilty to violent disorder, contrary to section 2 of the Public Order Act 1986.

They were sentenced on Friday, 27 September as follows:

Danny Grealey, 43 (28.06.76) of Ebberns Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.

Kate Beveridge, 35 (04.04.84) of Pool Foot Lane, Singleton, Lancashire was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Robert Sandford, 47 (27.11.71) of Bolton Road, Hungerhill, Bolton was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment.

Keith O’Sullivan, 40 (22.04.79) of Holmstead Way, Luton was sentenced to 23 months’ imprisonment.

Andrew McLean, 20 (18.11.98) of Field Street, Wolverhampton was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.

David Anderson, 23 (06.05.95) of Moraine Drive, Glasgow was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment.

Kai Smith, 19 (09.10.99) of Middleton Close, London, E4 was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.

Carl Gustav Backland, 59 (14.11.59) of Grafton Way, Camden was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment.

A further six individuals will be sentenced on Monday, 30 September.

On 9 June 2018, serious disorder broke out at a ‘Free Tommy Robinson’ demonstration in Whitehall. Scaffolding, glass bottles and items of street furniture, including heavy barriers, were thrown at police. More than 20 officers suffered injuries. Serious disruption was caused to members of the public, local businesses and the local community as a result.

Operation Augusta was launched by the Met to bring those involved in the disorder to justice.

Detective Sergeant Matt Hearing, who led the Operation Augusta team, said: “This investigation proved extremely challenging with hundreds of hours of CCTV, video and Body Worn Video to examine. However, such was the weight of evidence brought against those charged, that all pleaded guilty.

“Peaceful protest plays an important role in our society. However, the actions of some involved in this demonstration showed a contempt both for the law and the police. Officers that day were there to ensure the safety of all those taking part, yet were met with abuse and violence.”

Robert Hutchinson, prosecutor from the London CPS complex casework unit, said: “The terrifying disorder wreaked by these individuals in the heart of London on 9 June 2018, was inexcusable. Protestors set out to intimidate and hurt police, injuring more than 20 officers who were protecting the public and tourists in Central London on the day of Trooping of the Colour, and who should have been able to go about their duties without fear of violence.

“This was a complex case and has involved exceptionally close liaison with the police from an early stage to determine appropriate charges that reflected the seriousness of their crimes. The strong case we built ultimately left the defendants with no choice but to plead guilty.

“The sentences passed today should serve as a warning that those who direct violence towards police and act in this way will face prosecution and potentially prison.”

+ The following are due to be sentenced on Monday, 30 September:

– Mark Ransome, 25 (07.02.94) of Romford Road, Romford.
– James Thomas, 28 (24.10.90) of Priory View Road, Burton, Christchurch, Dorset.
– Max Millay-Hammet, 22 (09.05.97) of Wenlock Road, N1.
– Charles Haig, 24 (22.03.95) of East Street, Seaford, East Sussex.
– John Cummings, 49 (16.09.70) of Hunters Hall Road, Dagenham, Essex.
– Mitchell Fenwick, 21 (17.07.98) of Glebelands, Haverfordwest, Dyfed.
Met Police