An East Lancashire man who had taken a ‘cocktail of drugs’ has been jailed after throwing a brick during disorder in Southport last month.

Jonathan Duerden, 31, was sentenced alongside two other defendants in front of Judge Simon Medland at Liverpool Crown Court.

Duerden, of The Crescent, Colne, pleaded guilty to violent disorder, as did Gavin Pinder, 47, of Lord Lane, Oldham, and Joseph Buckley, 44, of Hatton Hill Road, Litherland.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said Duerden, who works as a handyman, threw a brick that bounced off of the top of a police carrier and encouraged the crowd to advance towards the police.

Duerden told police he travelled to Southport to lay flowers at a vigil, but said he had taken a cocktail of drugs including cannabis, ketamine, and cocaine along with alcohol.

Andrew McInnes, mitigating, told the court Duerden had ADHD, was barely literate or numerate, and his family believed he had been addicted to cannabis since the age of 13.

He said: “It certainly seems this defendant is more of a follower than a leader.”

The court also heard how Pinder had a “highly paid, responsible job” at the Hinkley Point power station in Somerset, but had been at his home in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, when he was contacted by an associate who made him aware of a protest to take place in Southport.

Michael Johnson, for Pinder, said his client believed the protest was focused on the belief that “something was being held back from the public in relation to the identity or circumstances of the person who had been detained” following the knife attack which killed three young girls.

Footage showed Pinder, a father to a four-year-old, shouting at officers and throwing a traffic cone at them.

It was also heard Buckley was the joint owner of a civil engineering business and was seen throwing a brick around a corner towards police.

Des Lennon, mitigating, said Buckley had believed he was going to a peaceful vigil but had stayed for about two hours after violence broke out because of “morbid curiosity”.

Duerden was jailed for two years.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts, of Merseyside Police, said: “These three men who have been jailed today played their part in the despicable scenes we all witnessed in Southport and Liverpool city centre.
 
“We continue to identify more and more people who attended the disorder in Merseyside and we will not stop until we’ve put everyone we possibly can before the courts.”