A total of 20 people have now been jailed for a combined total of 75 years and 11 months for their roles in the Bristol riot. A further two people have now been sentenced after admitting offences committed during what became a night of violence in Bristol city centre on 21 March 2021.
Rose Lazarus, 21, of Bishopston, admitted a charge of violent disorder at Bristol Crown Court on Monday (August 8), and has been sentenced to 14 months in prison. And on Friday (August 5), Sidney Barnes, 22, from Sussex, admitted a charge of assaulting an emergency worker, and was sentenced to a 12-month community order, 870 hours of unpaid work and £250 in costs.
Back on 21 March 2021, an initially peaceful protest turned violent in Bristol city centre. Protestors were coming together for a demonstration against the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is thought to risk minimising the public's rights to a peaceful protest.
Read more: Timeline shows how peaceful protest turned into night of crime and violence
However, violence erupted and continued well into the evening, with violent clashes between protestors and the police. Some protestors let off fireworks, threw missiles at police, set police vehicles on fire and smashed the windows of the city centre's Bridewell Police Station.
The incident made global headlines and the aftermath has been acutely followed in the media. At the time, police said that up to 500 people were 'involved in criminality' during the incident.
Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, said at the time that March 21 2021 was a "shameful day" for the city. In the aftermath of the riot, a huge police appeal was launched to identify those in connection with the incident.
Sentenced Rose Lazarus, of Bishopston, attacked the line of officers at the riot over a sustained period of time, pushing and hitting against shields, and forcefully kicking out on multiple occasions, say Avon and Somerset Police. She was also seen to throw missiles at a police vehicle.
On Monday (August 8) Christopher Hind, 38, of Eastville, also appeared in court and admitted a charge of violent disorder. His sentencing is due to occur on Thursday, September 8.
Det Supt James Riccio said: “Three more people have now ultimately admitted their behaviour on the night of 21 March last year was criminal. Their admissions of guilt may well be a result of the compelling evidence investigators have gathered against them, but I also hope it is because they have come to realise their actions went too far.
“We fully respect the fundamental democratic right to peaceful protest but aggression and violence are unacceptable.” Avon and Somerset Police have issued a reminder that criminal proceedings relating to the events of Sunday 21 March are ongoing against other defendants and that they have a right to a fair trial, so there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
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