Two men have been jailed for their roles in a Southampton protest that erupted following the brutal murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak. Connor Bishop, 24, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, while Leon O'Leary, 41, received a sentence of three years and one month after both admitted violent disorder per the BBC.
Footage shown in Southampton Crown Court showed O'Leary walking in the crowd when he spotted a smoke grenade, picked it up and threw it toward police, per the BBC. O'Leary also admitted to resisting a police officer and possession of a samurai sword.
For his part, Bishop was seen in footage wearing a black jumper with the words "boys get sad too" written on the back. He was filmed throwing a traffic cone toward police, according to the BBC.
The June 2 disruption left 11 police officers and a police dog injured as demonstrators hurled projectiles at officers. During sentencing, Judge William Mousley KC said police faced "constant assault" from projectiles and threats throughout the disorder according to reporting done by the BBC.
Bishop and O'Leary's legal representation said that the pair were not ringleaders in the disruption.
"They are not the instigators of this disorder, they are inevitable results of other individuals who seek to harness anger," said Thomas Evans, defending the two men.
The protest followed the release of body camera footage that showed Nowak dying in handcuffs after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, who was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for murder.
Digwa, 23, killed Nowak by stabbing him with a large knife he claimed to carry because of his Sikh faith. Digwa told police that he was the victim of a racist attack, leading officers to ignore Nowak's requests for medical assistance and arrest him instead. The incident has sparked massive outrage across Britain.
Although the court focused on the actions of those involved in the disorder, the protest itself was driven by widespread public outrage over the treatment of Nowak in his final moments. Questions surrounding the police response continue to draw attention, with the incident prompting calls for greater accountability and transparency from law enforcement.
