Rage turns to regret as rioters face swift justice after Southport

9 August 2024, 11:37

Having been present as a reporter in Liverpool City Centre during the protests on Saturday afternoon, I was able to witness the anger and aggression of protestors for myself.

The rage, hatred and willingness to attack the reinforced police lines was something I hadn’t seen in this city before, but it seemed to be acceptable for those taking part so long as they justified it by shouting “Save our Kids”.

The swift road to justice has also been unique.

Seven people have been jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for their role in the disorder in Southport and Liverpool, and in each case the over-riding emotion has been one of regret.

Each has been accepting of their behaviour, each has appeared remorseful in their body language, and each has understood their sentences were likely to be maximised to act as a deterrent for anyone thinking of partaking in future disorder.

It is hard to sit in court and watch these men stand before a judge, mostly with their heads down and blank expressions, and not think: “What were you doing?”

In at least two cases the guilty parties accepted they had no concept of what ‘far-right’ and ‘far-left’ actually meant.

The case of Derek Drummond, a 58 year old man from Southport, stands out to me.

His family were in court as prosecutors played video footage of him hurling bricks and vile abuse at police in Southport the day after the fatal stabbing of Alice, Elsie and Bebe.

They saw him at the front of a mob shouting “sh**houses, sh**houses” and “this is our country” before punching a police officer in the face.

At an earlier hearing, his daughter had been in floods of tears watching proceedings take place. Mr Drummond told the court he had lost his job as a result of his actions and is appalled by what he did.

It’s hard to believe those involved in this violence had any consideration for the consequences of their actions when they were picking up bricks and wheelie bins to launch at police.

The mother of Adam and Ellis Wharton - brothers jailed for looting the Spellow Hub Library in Walton after it had been set on fire - told me she was devastated to lose both of her sons, how Adam had been helping care for her because she has serious health issues, and urged others not to do the same as her boys had, because “life is precious”.

She also admitted her shame and offered to do anything she could to help her community.

It is clear that the speed of these court cases is driven by a determination to make it clear that this kind of mob violence will not be tolerated.

A swift turnaround in the courts has the impact of demonstrating very clearly how the actions of individuals ‘the night before’ can lead to instant regret and humiliation, not just for them but also for their families.