Five men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in violent disorder in Southampton that followed the murder of Henry Nowak. The incident saw police officers surrounded by a hostile crowd throwing projectiles.
Sentences Handed Down at Southampton Crown Court
Daniel Frost, 44, from Southampton, received a sentence of two years and four months for violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. He had fashioned a dog lead with a metal carabiner into a makeshift knuckleduster.
Reece Robinson, 21, of Havant, was jailed for two years for violent disorder after throwing stones or small bricks during the protest in the Portswood area on June 2.
Andrew Summerhayes, 38, of Romsey, was sentenced to three years and two months for violent disorder and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. He chased police officers with a large bin and later a traffic cone.
Details of the Offences
Taylor Grundy, 22, of Gosport, was jailed for two years and six months for violent disorder after throwing a plank of wood at police and helping others push a burning commercial bin towards the police cordon.
Dillon Crawford, 29, of Southampton, aggressively pushed to the front of the crowd and threw projectiles, including a bin and a metal item, at officers. He was sentenced to three years for violent disorder.
Judge William Mousley KC described the disorder as a hate crime driven by hatred of police and racist views. He noted the profound impact on the community, causing fear and distress.
Prosecution Details
Prosecutor Siobhan Linsley stated that Frost was seen on police body-worn video wearing a camouflage face-covering and throwing chairs. He wrapped a rope around his arm with a clip, forming a handmade knuckleduster, and challenged officers to take it from him. Frost had 25 previous convictions for 55 offences.
Robinson, with no prior convictions, was topless with a high-vis vest obscuring his face, throwing stones at the police cordon. Summerhayes stood close to officers as they were surrounded by a baying mob and later chased them with a bin and cone. He made baseless claims during his police interview.
Additional Convictions
Grundy threw a plank of wood and helped push a burning bin towards officers. Crawford joined the protest after being moved to tears by body-worn footage of Nowak's arrest and threw projectiles at police. He had 19 previous convictions.
In total, seven people have been jailed for the June 2 disorder, with 21 charged. The protest of around 1,000 people followed the release of footage showing Nowak being handcuffed before his death. Twelve police officers were injured, a police dog was assaulted, and a member of the public suffered a broken jaw. The policing operation cost £434,000.
