Merseyside Crackdown on Summer Violence: More Men Jailed and Charged
In the past week, two men have been jailed for a combined six years, two other men charged and a further three arrests made in relation to violent disorder in Merseyside last summer.
Matthew Carrigan, 33, of Tarvin Road, in Chester, was sentenced on Wednesday 9 April to three years in prison for playing a leading role in the violence in Liverpool city centre on Saturday 3 August 2024.
Officers were able to identify Carrigan on CCTV taking part in the disorder and also encouraging others to do so, including when he urged a group of other men to set fire to a police carrier. Enquiries also found several videos taken by Carrigan on his mobile phone, which showed him walking through the city centre with the violent mob and shouting racist abuse.
Bradley Jones, 33, of no fixed abode but originally from Wigan, was also jailed for three years on Friday 11 April for taking part in disorder in Southport.
Jones was captured on CCTV throwing missiles at officers and their vehicles. At one point, he starts taking items out of a wheelie bin and throws them at a police carrier.
Bradley Jones
There have also been two more men charged:
- Gareth Bond, 45, of Rawlinson Grove, in Southport, was charged with violent disorder on Friday 4 April and bailed to next appear at Liverpool Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday 23 April.
- Michael Hughes, 40, of Anfield Road, was charged with violent disorder in relation to the incident on County Road on Saturday 3 August and also possession of a controlled Class B drug (cannabis). He was bailed to next appear at Liverpool Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 22 April.
Inquiries into the violent disorder are ongoing and three more people have also been arrested:
- A 44-year-old man from Prescot was arrested on Saturday 5 April on suspicion of violent disorder in Southport. He was detained at Manchester airport after arriving back in the country from holiday. It follows CCTV inquiries into the actions of a male during the disorder who tried to punch and kick officers. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.
- A 32-year-old woman from Bootle was arrested on Thursday 10 April on suspicion of violent disorder and burglary in Southport. She has been bailed pending further enquiries. It follows inquiries into a female who threw missiles at officers and then broke into a nearby shop and stole alcohol.
- A 16-year-old boy from Runcorn has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to County Road. CCTV shows a male throwing several missiles at officers during the shocking scenes of that evening. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.
We have now arrested 194 people, with 151 charged and 134 sentenced to a combined 247 years and six months in prison.
Detective Inspector Paula Jones said: “Every week we are making more arrests and this work is ongoing as we continue to identify people who took part in the despicable scenes in Southport and Liverpool last summer.
“We make no apologies for our relentless pursuit of those involved and we are determined to find as many people as possible, even if they live outside of Merseyside.
“Images and footage are still being worked through, so we strongly advise anyone else who took part in the disorder to do the right thing and hand themselves in before we arrest you.”
We currently have a CCTV appeal containing many people who we still need to speak with because we believe they could have information about the disorder.
The latest gallery of images can be viewed here:Latest CCTV appeal following violent disorder last summer | Merseyside Police
Many of these people could be from outside of Merseyside, specifically Blackburn, Bradford, Chester, Manchester, Ormskirk, Preston, Runcorn, Telford, Wigan and surrounding areas.
If you have any information, you can call 101 or DM @MerPolCC, quoting reference number 24000663787.