Grandfather jailed for a year after assaulting police officer at protest

A 40-year-old grandfather is facing a custodial sentence after pleading guilty to assault by beating of a police officer who he "barrelled" into at a protest in Southampton.

Ryan Wheatley, of Malvern Close, Fair Oak, Hampshire, admitted running into Sergeant Rob Perry at the demonstration in Grosvenor Square on Wednesday.

Passing sentence at Southampton Crown Court, Judge Christopher Parker said it was clear he "intended to cause or threaten violence".

Wheatley was part of a small group of anti-immigrant protesters who were confronted by a group of about 400 counter protesters.

The court was shown video footage from Sgt Rob Perry's body-worn camera showing Wheatley approaching the opposing protestors before charging at the officer.

An incapacitant spray was used on him before he was detained.

In a victim impact statement, read out in court, Sgt Perry said he had not been physically injured but "had to relive the incident and what could have been".

Barry Keel, defending, said that Wheatley, who is unemployed, had expressed remorse for his actions and added: "He accepts he has let himself down, his family down, he is a family man with children and grandchildren."

He added that the defendant had a history of drug problems.

Mr Keel said: "Mr Wheatley says that he found about the protest on Reddit, he decided to go along as his concerns weren't about immigration perse, he understands the need for people to come to work legally but he is concerned about people coming by boats and the border not being properly policed.

"He had some agreement with the counter protesters, he wanted to put his point of view that his concern was about illegal immigration rather than immigration perse."

Mr Keel said the defendant had gone alone to the protest and had been given the England flag by another protester.

He added that Wheatley had left the other protesters because "he was concerned and upset about being called a racist or a Nazi."

He continued: "On his own, he goes to much larger group and Police Sergeant Perry intervenes and stands in his way and he barrelled into the officer, pushing him back.

"If this was something that happened on a Saturday night, stripping out the issues of public disorder, this would be a case for a community level disposal or community sentence."

He added that the officer was not hurt and said that Wheatley "was swept along into what was going on".

Detective Chief Superintendent Nigel Lecointe said: "While the majority who attended this protest in Southampton were respectful and engaged with officers, Wheatley decided to act in such an aggressive manner that our officers were fearful of violence towards themselves and counter protestors.

"They took decisive action, stopping him from getting to the counter group and arresting him. It shows this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.

"With the support of the Crown Prosecution Service, we have been able to conduct a thorough investigation and bring him before the court as soon as possible, for justice to be served.

"This should be a warning to anyone else considering involving themselves in disorder or behaving aggressively during protests. These actions have consequences.

"Our local officers, neighbourhood policing teams and District Commanders will continue to engage with our communities this week, to hear any concerns they have and provide them with reassurance.

"We also continue to ensure we have the right teams and people with the right capabilities ready to respond should we see any disorder."

Kate Brown, Chief Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “Today’s sentence spells out in no uncertain terms what awaits those who are actively involving themselves in unacceptable scenes of violence and disorder in Wessex.

“You will be caught, you will be arrested and you will face the full force of the law.

“Put simply, there is no place for such conduct in our region.

“We will continue to work side by side with partners across the criminal justice system to ensure justice is delivered robustly and swiftly.”