Two Wigan men jailed for violent disorder in Southport

Two men from Wigan have been jailed today (Monday 9 September) for a total of four years, 10 months after they were filmed repeatedly throwing bricks and bottles at police during disorder in Southport.

Paul Harrison, 30 years, of Warrington Road, Wigan attempted to hide his identity with the flag of St George as he joined those involved in the disorder on 30 July.

He was filmed throwing a wheelie bin, bottles and bricks at police officers who attended to protect the public.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today where he was jailed for two years, four months.

Jordan Gibson, 33 years, of Whelley, Wigan was seen goading officers at the front of a large group, throwing bricks at officers and their vehicles, and kicking at a wall in order to dismantle it to throw more bricks.

He too appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today where he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Their sentences mean that 45 people have now been jailed for a total of 99-and-a-half years for their part in disorder in Liverpool and Southport. 

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts said: “The despicable actions of both men, who travelled to Southport intent on causing mayhem and destruction, have landed them both in prison.

“Their decision that day has cost them dearly but more importantly, their actions and those of others with them left a town in shock and fear and, left more than 50 officers injured.

“The way the community pulled together to clean up and restore walls and infrastructure after their terrible actions was an immense source of hope for all who live there.

“I hope the fact so many of those who brought such awful scenes to Southport are being jailed reassures those who suffered most at their hands, and sends a very strong message to anyone who would consider bringing disorder to our streets.

“The dedication of officers on the frontline that day, who put themselves in harm’s way to bring such a challenging situation under control, has been followed with many hours of dedicated work by investigators trawling CCTV and camera phone footage to identify those responsible and bringing them to justice.

“We continue to identify more people who attended the disorder in Merseyside and we will not stop until we’ve put everyone we possibly can before the courts.”

We would encourage anyone with information to contact us via Public Portal Public Portal (mipp.police.uk) or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.