Poor mental health spared a St Werburghs man who admitted riot in Bristol from a lengthy jail term. Carl Davis said he attended a peaceful protest in the city in March 21, 2021 - but admitted being drawn in as violence flared.
The initially peaceful protest was against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill, proposing to give extended power to police to shut down demonstrations. It started as a peaceful event.
But as the day wore on there were clashes between police and Kill the Bill protesters outside Bridewell Police Station. People were injured in the melee, including 44 police officers, and at least £212,000 worth of damage was caused to police property, including by fire.
READ MORE: Three more jailed after Bristol Kill the Bill riot
Today (February 28, 2023) Davis, 26, of Sussex Place, was sentenced after pleading guilty to riot. Judge James Patrick jailed him for two-and-a-half years.
The judge told him: "Your violence was comparitively modest. You are very different from, everyone else I've had to deal with."
David Scutt, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court Davis kicked at police shields and joined an attack on the police station windows. Davis had a previous conviction for assaulting emergency workers, the court heard.
Jacob Bindman, defending, told the court that at the time his client was suffering from an episode of mental health illness, which included auditory hallucinations. Mr Bindman told the court: "He did not go to a riot.
"There was a peaceful part of this event. He went there because he felt strongly about the issue.
"He went to the demonstration and it became heated and volatile. He witnessed behaviour from the police he was concerned about.
"He accepts responsibility for going overboard. It is out of character for him, he was in a particularly bad place and he is remorseful."
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