A man who spat at officers and threw a glass bottle at a police horse during the riot in Bristol in March last year has been jailed.
Joseph Parry, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, also tried to pull a door of a mobile police station off its hinges together with a group of other people.
The 23-year-old appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Monday 7th November. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of violent disorder.
Parry is the 21st person jailed for offences committed during the riot. Together, they have been imprisoned for a combined total of 77 years and nine months.
In sentencing Parry, Judge James Patrick said he had taken into account his guilty plea, age, previous good character and the fact that others easily led him.
However, he said his actions dehumanised officers and highlighted how spitting on them during the height of the pandemic was particularly unpleasant.
Detective Superintendent James Riccio said:
“Joseph Parry is a naïve young man who, after drinking alcohol, got caught up in the moment.
“He spent more than three hours at the scene and had plenty of time and opportunity to walk away yet chose to stay and act aggressively towards police officers trying to maintain order.
“He has owned up to his actions but there can be no excuses for engaging in violent acts.”
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If he had done that to an officer, I doubt he would have been locked up but a horse? In he goes. 20 months seems a sensible sentence to me except he will be out after 10, which is not good. He should spend the full 20 months inside, more if he misbehaves.
The same should apply to the lunatics on the M25. There is an injunction on this crowd. Once caught, they should be remanded until a judge can decide how long they will spend inside. Given how much they have cost the nation, prison should be measured in years, not months.
Too lenient as he’ll probably only serve a year or less. I do hate these “headline sentences” that will be reduced.