He 'heard a commotion' in the pub and was sent to jail for what he did next

A man "heard a commotion" while he was drinking in the pub but was sent to jail for what he did next. Nicholas Sinclair hurled bricks towards police officers as violent scenes unfolded in Southport following the fatal stabbings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice DaSilva Aguiar last month.

His friend Luke Moran meanwhile smashed the window of a police van with a concrete slab as a PC sat in the driver's seat. A judge yesterday described his actions as being "as bad a case as he has seen" in relation to the riots.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday that around 50 police officers were injured as a 1,000-strong crowd descended on St Luke's Road in the town on the evening of July 30. Rioters thereafter hurled missiles, "damaged and looted" properties and chanted "this is our f***ing country", "s***houses", "scumbag b******s" and "Allah, Allah, who the f*** is Allah?" as the nearby mosque on Sussex Road became the "focus" of the violence.

Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, described how Moran, of Leybourne Avenue in Birkdale, was seen on CCTV footage holding a pint glass and finishing his drink before putting the vessel down on an industrial bin. Clad in a pair of flip flops and a black Montirex t-shirt and shorts, the 38-year-old then joined the crowds and began "chanting and cheering".

He was subsequently seen at the side of a police carrier, pulling at the wing mirror before punching a window. Moran thereafter took a "large piece of concrete" and began smashing the driver's side window with it while Police Constable James Hayes sat in the driver's seat.

The incident was captured on the officer's body worn camera, footage of which was played to the court and can be viewed above. He recalled his vehicle being surrounded by masked men, with the defendant being "one of the first to approach his vehicle".

Moran then "began to try to rip the wing mirror off" and was later seen holding a "large chunk" of debris in his hands and, with "gritted teeth", raising the implement above his head and striking the window three times. PC Hayes said he "feared for his life" and retreated into the back of the van, which he exited via the rear as colleagues "covered and shielded him" while missiles continued to rain down upon him.

The officer was heard saying during the clip: "Gonna have to bail. My f***ing window is about to go through. My window has gone through."

Moran was subsequently circulated as wanted by Merseyside Police and handed himself in at Copy Lane Police Station on August 14. He gave a prepared statement under interview following his arrest saying that "he was sorry" and "he had no intent to cause serious injury or harm".

His criminal record shows 13 previous convictions for 20 offences - including drunk and disorderly behaviour in 2001, assault and drunk and disorderly behaviour in 2002, public order offences in 2004 and motoring matters in 2015 and 2016. Simon Christie, defending, told the court: "It is some 20 years since he was before the courts for public disorder or acts of violence.

"Until a few days before he was arrested, he was a man in employment and holding down a full time job as a roofer and looking after his family. When his employer knew he was wanted, he was instantly dismissed.

"His family have been appalled by what they have learned and seen. He found himself swept up in the incident of public violence against police officers, against whom he has no grudge whatsoever.

"He will miss his family. He takes the consequences. When he comes out, he will have to rebuild his life and his reputation in the community."

Moran and Sinclair were said to have been "known to one another and are friends". The latter, of Bury Road in Birkdale, was seen "shouting towards the police and throwing missiles" including bricks, as well as "pointing and shouting" and "motioning for others to move forward into the surge of people as they pressed upon the police cordon".

The 38-year-old was later recorded "rummaging in bins and bin bags" in the street. Sinclair handed himself in at Copy Lane Police Station on August 14 after footage of him was released as part of a public appeal by the force.

When interviewed, he said he had "been in a nearby public house" when he "heard a commotion and went outside to see what was happening". The dad told detectives that he had "been out all day drinking" and was "very drunk", meaning his "recollection of the events was a bit blurry".

But Sinclair "accepted throwing missiles towards officers" and said he was "disgusted by what he had seen on the footage", adding that he had "got caught up in the moment". He has eight previous convictions for 16 offences - including drunk and disorderly behaviour and a public order offence in 2004, drunk and disorderly behaviour in 2005, criminal damage in 2014 and 2022 and motoring matters in 2014 and 2017.

Mr Christie, who also appeared on behalf of Sinclair, said: "He is also a family man. He is a good father. He was a manager of a scaffolding company. They are appalled by what he has done but when he is released they will support him, as will his family."

The defence counsel meanwhile said of both of his clients: "They knew what they were doing. There will have been those driven by hatred. There is no evidence that these defendants had that within them, but they associated themselves with it."

Moran, who blew a kiss to his supporters in the public gallery at one stage during the hearing, and Sinclair admitted violent disorder. A woman burst into tears as the former was jailed for three years. Sinclair meanwhile received 28 months.

Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: "Following the tragic events which took place in Southport on the 29th of July this year, serious disorder in the form of vandalism, intimidation and violence - much of which was motivated by religious and racial hatred - spread across Merseyside and into other cities across the UK. That disorder brought fear and destruction to local communities.

"There is an overwhelming obligation on the courts to do what they can to ensure the protection of the public. Consequently, those who choose to participate in disturbances of the magnitude that have occurred recently - causing injury, damage and fear to law abiding members of the community and to police officers doing there best to protect them - must expect to receive severe sentences, intended both to punish them and deter others. This particular incident is made all the more serious by the fact that it took place soon after and nearby to the events of the previous day, undoubtedly adding to the distress already felt by the local community."

The judge, who has already sentenced several defendants for offences in relation to the riots, also labelled Moran's actions as "as bad a case as I have seen so far". He added: "Understandably, the police officer feared for his life believing that he might be pulled from the carrier and attacked."