Henry Nowak protests: Two men charged following violent disorder in Southampton
Two men have been charged following violence in Southampton on Tuesday evening following the sentencing of Henry Nowak’s killer.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced the charges following riots in the Hampshire port city on Tuesday evening following the conclusion of the case, which left 11 police officers and a police dog injured.
Matt Styler, 50, of no fixed abode in Gosport, was charged with assault by beating an emergency worker.
Daniel Frost, 44, of Northam Road, Southampton, is charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.
The pair will appear at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
CPS Wessex Deputy Crown Prosecutor Sophie Stevens said: “We have decided to prosecute Matt Styler for assault on an emergency worker.
“Subsequently, our out-of-hours team, CPS Direct, also stated that Daniel Frost was charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, this follows an investigation into allegations of crime following protests in Southampton on Tuesday evening.
“Our prosecutors worked to determine that there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial and that it was in the public interest to pursue criminal prosecution.
“We worked closely with Hampshire Police as they carried out their investigation.”
Labor MP for Southampton Itchen said “violence is not the solution” in response to the murder of Henry Nowak.
“This is a country where there is rule of law, where there is no vigilante justice, where there are no people taking matters into their own hands,” Darren Paffey told BBC Breakfast.
Referring to Mr Nowak’s family’s comments outside court, the Labor MP said: “They have made it very, very clear that they do not want Henry’s murder and the appalling conditions he was in to cause any violence.
“They said they wanted this to be a catalyst for safer streets.
“What we saw the other night was the exact opposite of that and I fear those who came to Southampton to instigate this should really hang their heads in shame.
“Of course we all have questions, we all recoiled in horror at the body camera footage we watched of what happened to Henry that night, but violence is not the solution.
“The violence we saw did not help one bit to answer the questions we all legitimately have.”
Responding to the apology from Hampshire Police chief Alexis Boon, Mr Paffey said: “Apologies must be accompanied by action and it is the independent watchdog’s investigation into exactly what happened that will lead to that action.”
