A KNOWSLEY teenager has been sentenced for assaulting a police officer during the recent unrest across Merseyside.
Riots and disorder erupted across the country in July, following the misinformation that was spread online following the stabbings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar.
More than 100 people have been arrested and almost 50 jailed since the disorder across Merseyside, with two more people sentenced for attacking police officers and property.
Following the disorder in Liverpool city centre on Saturday, August 3, a 16-year-old from Knowsley kicked a police officer in the back after he had already been pushed off his police motorbike on The Strand.
Mobile phone footage of the incident was shared widely on social media and showed a large group of people target the officer who had been deployed to The Strand to try and protect the community during the violent scenes.
The 16-year-old appeared in court today (Tuesday, September 17), when he was sentenced to 12 months in a Young Offenders Institute for violent disorder, criminal damage, assault by beating of an emergency worker and two counts of burglary other than in a dwelling.
He was also identified on footage as being at the forefront of a large group of people who threw bricks at officers as well as damaging and burgling stores in Clayton Square.
A second male, Joshua Cropper, 31, of Pitt Street, in Southport, was also jailed today for two years and six months for violent disorder in Southport on Tuesday, July 30, after he was caught on video repeatedly smashing the window of a police van with officers inside and launching rocks and bricks.
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“Thankfully the officer didn’t sustain serious injuries during this particular incident, but the aggression and violence on display serves as a snapshot of what all of our officers had to deal with during the incidents in Liverpool and Southport.
“A dedicated team has been reviewing hundreds of hours worth of footage of the disorder and were able to identify a 16-year-old male who was responsible for assaulting the officer and even though he tried to conceal his identity behind a face mask, he couldn’t hide from our investigation team.
“Joshua Cropper was caught on video repeatedly smashing the window of a police van with officers inside and launching rocks and bricks during disorder in Southport.
“Cropper played a central role in the awful scenes he and others brought to the town that day. At one point, he repeatedly smashed the side window of a police van with a rock while officers were inside and picked up a concrete slab he then used to strike the bonnet a number of times.
“While Cropper was topless throughout, he made some attempt to cover his face with a top tied around his neck and he wore a cap. This is another example of someone attempting to evade detection and avoid justice. Yet again, it failed.
“Our inquiries continue into the incidents in Merseyside with more arrests, charges and sentences to come.
“We continue to identify more people who attended the disorder in Merseyside and we will not stop until we’ve put everyone we possibly can before the courts.”
- A 17-year-old boy from Liverpool was sentenced to eight months in youth detention and training order for violent disorder and burglary in Liverpool.
- A 12-year-old boy from Southport has been given a 12 month referral order for violent disorder in Southport.
Anyone with information about the riots and disorder is asked to contact the Public Portal Public Portal here or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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