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Five men have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in violent disorder during a protest in Southampton held after the murder of Henry Nowak. The court handed down various jail terms related to the clashes with police that followed the tragic event.
Daniel Frost, 44, from Southampton, received a sentence of two years and four months, while Reece Robinson, 21, from Havant, was given two years. Taylor Grundy, 22, who lives in Gosport, was sentenced to two and a half years. Andrew Summerhayes, 38, from Romsey, was jailed for three years and two months, and Dillon Crawford, 29, of Southampton, was given a three-year sentence. The violence during the protest resulted in injuries to twelve police officers and a police dog; officers faced missiles such as wheelie bins and chairs being thrown at them.
Presiding Judge William Mousley KC described the unrest as a “hate crime, borne out of hatred of the police and in some cases racist views.” The court heard that Frost, a father of two originally from Cornwall, admitted to carrying a dog lead modified with a metal carabiner as an offensive weapon and threw chairs and bins into the street during the disorder. Following the event, Frost reportedly referred to the violence as “today’s fun” and a “big party.” Robinson’s lawyer highlighted his previously clean record, describing it as “completely clear, not even a parking ticket.” Despite this, the judge noted that Robinson was positioned at the forefront of the crowd near the police cordon and threw stones or bricks at officers.
Additional details revealed that Summerhayes, who has 25 prior convictions for 45 offences, “rammed” a large bin into police officers and was “at the forefront of serious public disorder.” His defense mentioned his role as an active father to a two-year-old daughter. Grundy had two previous convictions and was under a community order for driving while disqualified and lacking insurance; video evidence showed him throwing pieces of wood at police officers and pushing a communal wheelie bin toward them. Crawford was described as pushing aggressively through the crowd to confront retreating police on Belmont Road, throwing a brown bin and metal chair forcefully. He has a history of 19 previous convictions for 33 offences, including a violent assault that left a partner unconscious and with broken teeth. The court also learned that the disorder cost the police £443,000 for staffing and accommodation, and Southampton City Council spent £6,700 on cleanup.
Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, who claimed he carried the large blade due to his Sikh faith. Digwa had deceived police by falsely asserting he was the victim of a racist attack, causing officers initially to arrest Nowak rather than him. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the police response following the incident. Henry Nowak’s family publicly condemned the violent scenes that unfolded in Southampton during the protest
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