Eight men have pleaded guilty to violent disorder after a disturbance in Portswood, Southampton, on 2 June. The unrest occurred following a protest outside Southampton Central Police Station, which was triggered by the release of police bodycam footage connected to the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
Hampshire Constabulary reported that 11 officers and a police dog suffered injuries during the disorder near the home of Vickrum Digwa. Digwa was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Nowak.
Among those who pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on 8 June were Jordan Hambleton, 19; Tyler Burley, 18; Darren Medhurst, 36; and Leon O’Leary, 41. In addition to violent disorder, O’Leary admitted to resisting a constable and possession of an offensive weapon in a separate incident in Basingstoke. Sentencing for these four men is scheduled to take place at Southampton Crown Court.
Another four defendants—Benjamin Jones, 23; Harley Haynes, 23; Callum Darch, 27; and Mariusz Szczyglo, 45—also pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Their sentencing will be held at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday.
Kamil Josef Klonek, 33, from Southampton, did not enter a plea to violent disorder after being accused of throwing a beer can at police during the disturbance. He is due to appear before Southampton Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
The protest followed the public release of police footage showing Henry Nowak handcuffed and dying. This came a day after Vickrum Digwa was sentenced on 1 June for Nowak’s murder. Nowak, a first-year University of Southampton student originally from Chafford Hundred, Essex, was fatally stabbed in December.
Digwa claimed self-defence, citing racial abuse, but was convicted and given a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years.
Originally published by UKNIP.
