Overview
- Two men, Connor Bishop and Leon O'Leary, were jailed on Tuesday, June 9, after pleading guilty to violent disorder for their roles in the Southampton protest that followed release of body-worn video of Henry Nowak.
- Court footage shown at sentencing captured Bishop carrying and throwing a yellow traffic cone at officers and O'Leary picking up and hurling a smoke grenade toward police; O'Leary also admitted resisting arrest and was linked to possession of a samurai sword found at his home.
- The disorder injured multiple officers and a police dog and generated policing costs reported at more than £400,000, details prosecutors used to describe the scale of the attack on police.
- Other prosecutions remain under way, including a 19-year-old whose sentencing was adjourned for a pre-sentence report after he was identified on footage throwing bins, a scooter and other items at officers.
- Judges and prosecutors highlighted that many people came from outside the area and that far-right figures were reported to have encouraged attendance, issues that feed ongoing public debate about police conduct, crowd dynamics and responsibility.