A 28-year-old man has been jailed for six months for helping to set a mobile police station on fire during the Bristol riot.
Alexander Papadopoulos, of Whitehall in Bristol, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Monday 23rd January, after admitting charges of arson and theft.
Footage gathered during the investigation into the riot of Sunday 21 March 2021, showed him helping to set fire to a mobile police station, including pushing a chair into it to help accelerate the flames.
The offence of theft by finding relates to the theft of a police helmet, which he was seen on camera wearing.
Judge Patrick sentenced him to six months in prison for the arson, and an additional seven days for the theft, to run concurrently.
On sentencing, the judge said his actions had added to the fire which wrecked the mobile police station, and also said he’d taken the police helmet as “a trophy”.
Detective Superintendent James Riccio said:
“The fire this defendant was involved in stoking and accelerating caused catastrophic damage to a community mobile police station and was one of the more significant criminal acts committed on that shameful night of violence.
“The weight of evidence, particularly visual evidence, gathered during this investigation has directly led to this admission of guilt and subsequent prison sentence, which we welcome.”
Make sure that you subscribe to our FREE newsletter for any updates to this story [CLICK HERE] to subscribe.
Before you go...
WE NEED YOUR HELP.Here at Emergency Services News, we aim to tell you stories that the mainstream media are not interested in reporting. Whilst the MSM love to berate and ridicule the emergency services, who is there to report on the realities of serving on the front line?
Emergency Services News is currently a loss-making entity. But our team of volunteers, all former emergency services personnel, do not do it for the money.
We do it because we are sick and tired of the mainstream media constantly trying to undermine the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep you and your family safe.
How many MSM journalists who speak ill of the emergency services have actually dared to don the uniform and risk their own lives to save the life of a complete stranger? If you would like to help back our mission of reporting on fact-based news, then please consider helping to support us financially.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
