Four men, including one described as the “least involved” a judge has seen, have been jailed for violent disorder during an anti-immigration protest in Plymouth .
Gary Harkness, 51, of North West Road, John Cann, 51, of Patna Place, Ryan Bailey, 41, of no fixed address, and Amer Walid, 24, of Central Park Towers, were sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Tuesday.
Cann, Bailey and Harkness were handed three-year, 30-month and 12-month sentences respectively.
Walid, who was a counter-protester, was jailed for 20 months.
All four previously pleaded guilty at magistrates’ court on Monday.
Harkness was described by Judge Robert Linford as being the “least involved” in terms of “direct violence” to come before him.
Handing out his sentence, Judge Linford said: “Of the people I have thus far sentenced you are the person who provides me with the most difficulty because it cannot be levelled at you that you hit anyone, neither have you thrown anything, neither is it said that you spat at anybody.
“But it is accepted by you that you were a party to this disorder and I have to sentence you on the basis, and you also know that anyone party to it has to receive a custodial sentence.”
He added: “On August 5 this city was blighted by widespread disorder that was centred on the Royal Parade – there was one faction on one side and one faction on the other.
“You didn’t attend this evening, I’m satisfied, with the intention of starting or being involved in any trouble.
“You didn’t align yourself with either faction, but you became involved and as a consequence of that you have now pleaded guilty to violent disorder.
“Your plea accepts that you threatened unlawful violence and your conduct could lead people to fear for their safety.”
Harkness, who admitted having drunk heavily that day, was seen making lewd gestures and swearing during the evening and at another point pushes or is pushed by a police officer.
At one point in the trial, after watching body-worn camera footage from the event, the judge halted the hearing, seeming frustrated that Harkness was before him.
The case was adjourned while the judge spoke to the prosecution’s Lewis Aldous.
Following the adjournment Mr Aldous told the court that Harkness had effectively encouraged the disorder.
The court also heard that Cann and Bailey had been involved in the far-right protest on August 5, while Walid had attended a counter-protest on the opposite side of the police barricade.
Video was shown to the court of Cann on a bike, launching a firework or flare towards the counter-protesters, as well as picking up objects from the floor and throwing them.
Mr Aldous told the court that Cann told police he thought the protest would “kick off” because “an immigrant had killed some girls” but insisted he was not racist.
Bailey was seen throwing a can and heard chanting along with others, saying: “Immigrants not welcome here”.
Walid was seen throwing cans on four occasions back at the far-right side of the protest.
He could be seen surrounded by placards saying “Love not hate”.
Sentencing Walid, Judge Linford accepted he had not entered the city “looking for trouble” and that protesters had been throwing missiles and making “deeply offensive racist chants”.
He said: “What you should have done was rise above their simply obnoxious racism.
“You were capable of doing that but you didn’t, instead what you did was throw four missiles of one sort or another at the group opposite.”
All four defendants sentenced were said to be remorseful and regretful that they had participated in the disorder.
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