A man has pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possessing a dog lead with a metal carabiner as an offensive weapon after disorder in Southampton in the wake of the murder of Henry Nowak.
Daniel Frost, 44, of Northam Road, Southampton, was brought before Southampton Magistrates’ Court where he entered guilty pleas to the disorder offence and possessing a dog lead with a metal carabiner attached.
District Judge Anthony Callaway sent the case to be sentenced at the city’s crown court after telling the court the offences were too serious for the powers of the magistrates’ court.
He remanded the defendant in custody and ordered a pre-sentence report for the sentencing hearing to be held at the crown court on July 16.
A second protester, 50-year-old army veteran Matt Styler, pleaded not guilty to assault by beating of an emergency worker.
Styler, formerly of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment, is accused of kicking a police sergeant during Tuesday’s trouble.
Public anger boiled over this week after bodycam footage was released showing police handcuffing the dying student, 18, after his killer falsely accused him of a racist attack.
In reality, he had been stabbed repeatedly with a religious blade by knife-obsessed Sikh man Vickrum Digwa, 23, who was jailed for his murder on Monday.
There were 11 officers and a dog injured during the riot, which saw police officers pelted with glass bottles in scenes later described as ‘unacceptable’.
Nola Bond, prosecuting, told the court that Frost had thrown dustbins at police officers during the protest in the Portswood area.
She added: ‘He had around his neck a dog lead with a carabiner and wrapped it around his knuckles and taunted police officers to come and take it off him.’
The court was told that Frost had previously received 25 convictions for 55 offences, including an offence against the person in 2001, four public disorder offences between 2006 and 2011, offences of failing to surrender in 1999 and 2008, possession of a bladed article in 2009 and threatening and abusive behaviour in 2010 and 2011.
Oliver O’Connor, defending, said Frost had two children but lived alone with his dog.
He said: ‘He is at pains to tell the court of his shame of his involvement, one of the biggest regrets in his life.
‘He is a vulnerable man, he is in receipt of PIP (personal independence payment) as a result of a serious fall he had leading to a hip replacement.’
Riot police armed with plastic shields face off with protestors in Southampton this week
Glass bottles and bins were thrown at lines of riot police
Vickrum Digwa is seen lying to police as he tells them Henry Nowak ripped off his turban in a racist attack. He also points to his eye, claiming it has been injured by the teenager
Mr Nowak was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described as ‘kind and talented’
An image issued by the Crown Prosecution Service shows the eight-inch ceremonial dagger used by Digwa
The judge remanded Styler, the second defendant, in custody until a pre-trial hearing at Southampton Crown Court on June 26.
He said: ‘He has a wife and three children, has a previous military career, suffers PTSD and other difficulties.’
Announcing charges against the two men today, Sophie Stevens, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS Wessex, said: ‘We have decided to prosecute Matt Styler with assault of an emergency worker.
‘Later our out of hours team CPS Direct also directed that Daniel Frost was charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon – this followed an investigation into alleged offending following protests held in Southampton on Tuesday evening.
‘Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.’
Mr Nowak’s case has led to a ferocious political row over ‘two-tier’ policing guidelines which state white people should be treated differently to ethnic minorities. It has been blamed for influencing the way officers respond to reports.
The teenager was stabbed repeatedly by Digwa, who lied to officers that Mr Nowak had shouted racist abuse, punched him and knocked off his turban. Mr Nowak repeatedly told officers ‘I can’t breathe’ before his death.
Harrowing bodycam footage released this week showed the teenager desperately telling officers four times, ‘I’ve been stabbed’, to which one policeman replied: ‘I don’t think you have mate’.
Mr Nowak’s father Mark accused officers of affording the killer ‘decency’ while the way they treated his son was ‘inhumane and degrading’.
Hampshire Police was forced to apologise to Mr Nowak’s family for the blunder, while the conduct of the arresting officers is being examined by the police watchdog.
Kemi Badenoch insisted the incident must be a ‘wake up call’, saying ‘every life matters’ as she demanded change during a tense session of Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday.
Nigel Farage said ‘two-tier’ policing could not continue, warning that rioting in Southampton ‘is in danger of getting worse’ unless the Government acts.
But Sir Keir Starmer said there was ‘no justification’ for the ‘disgraceful’ violence – and pointed the finger at Mr Farage for urging the public to display ‘cold rage’.
The prime minister suggested the Reform leader only ‘pretended to respect’ the family of Mr Nowak, who have pleaded for people not to politicise the murder.
Sir Keir said he did not believe there was ‘two-tier policing’ in the UK.
But Conservatives and Reform UK are adamant that Mr Nowak’s treatment was influenced by police guidance around racial bias.
