Man jailed for bringing dog lead ‘knuckleduster’ to Henry Nowak police protest
Two men were jailed for their involvement in violent disorder in Southampton; This incident was described by a judge as a “hate crime” motivated by anti-police sentiment and racism.
The unrest saw officers surrounded by a “bullet-throwing mob” following the murder of Henry Nowak.
Daniel Frost, 44, a father of two from Southampton, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison. He was found guilty of violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon – a dog lead with a metal carabiner fashioned into a “makeshift joint”.
Reece Robinson, 21, from Havant, was also sentenced to two years in prison for violent disorder. He admitted throwing two stones or small bricks during a protest in the Portswood area on June 2.
At Southampton Crown Court, Judge William Mousley KC said: “This violence was a hate crime motivated by hatred of the police and partly by racist views.”
He added: “The impact on the community was profound, with local residents subjected to fear, distress and a real sense of danger.”
Prosecutor Siobhan Linsley had previously told the court Frost was seen wearing a camouflage face mask as he threw chairs from a garden onto the road in front of officers in police body-worn video shown to the court.
He said the defendant then “ostentatiously wrapped the rope around his arm and the clip around his hand, creating what observing officers feared was a homemade knuckle duster.”
Miss Linsley added: “When the defendant heard this he said it was a dog collar but repeatedly invited officers to come and collect it.
“He then told them it would take four of them to get him off of her and if they tried to do that ‘these will fuck you right now, come and get him’, referring to the crowd around him.”
Ms Linsley said after his arrest Frost described the disturbance as a “big party” and called one of the police officers involved a “gaslighting bitch”.
He said Frost had 25 previous convictions for 55 offences, including a six-year sentence for robbery and GBH, weapons offences, public order offenses and burglary.
Describing Robinson’s involvement, Ms Linsley said: “Mr Robinson was seen at the disturbance on St Denys Road, shirtless with an orange high-vis vest around his neck obscuring his face.
“He bent down twice, picked up small stones or bricks and threw them at the police cordon.”
He added that Robinson, who had no previous criminal record or warning, told the police when he was arrested: “I didn’t actually do much.”
Two more men were jailed yesterday for throwing traffic cones and smoke bombs at police during violent unrest in Southampton following the murder of Henry Nowak.
Leon O’Leary, 41, and 24-year-old Connor Bishop were sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday, a day after admitting violent disorder at the city’s magistrates’ court.
In the footage, O’Leary is seen “casually walking” through the crowd when he notices a smoke bomb on the ground, picks it up and throws it towards officers.
O’Leary also admitted resisting a police officer and possessing an offensive weapon, for which he was sentenced.
When police arrived at his home in Basingstoke to arrest him at 3.30am on June 7, he assumed a “fighting stance” at the top of the stairs and threatened officers, who had to use pava spray to subdue him.
A samurai sword was later discovered in his bedroom.
O’Leary said he had owned the samurai sword for 20 years and that it was for decorative purposes only. He said he didn’t know the law had changed regarding possession.
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Connor Bishop, from Southampton, was seen wearing a black jumper with the words “men get upset too” written on the back and carrying a yellow traffic cone which he threw towards the police.
