Sunderland thug who downed eight cans before kicking police officer at Westminster statue demo jailed

Shirtless Daniel Allan, 35, knocked the officer to the ground but was later spotted in the crowd due to his "distinctive appearance" - a pair of luminous yellow shorts.

Southwark Crown Court heard Allan travelled from his home in Ridley Terrace, Hendon, during lockdown in June to attend the demonstrations, in which groups of right-wing protesters sought to "protect statues" around Whitehall and Trafalgar Square.

The protests took place following global Black Lives Matter (BLM) marches sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in the US in May.

Prosecutor Nicholas Alexander said there were "running battles throughout the day" between police and demonstrators, who threw items, liquids and abuse at officers.

The court saw social media footage of the incident on Saturday, June 13, where Allan runs at the officer from behind and launches a "running flying kick".

Mr Alexander said Allan's actions had "emboldened other protesters to move forward and attack police officers".

"He had drunk eight cans of lager and become angry after he had been hit by a police officer with a baton," he said.

Mr Alexander added victim Police Sergeant Richard Lambert said it had added "another level of subconscious angst" to his stressful job.

The court heard Allan, who admitted one count of violent disorder against a police officer, confessed in an interview he held right-wing views, and had been "disgusted" at what he had seen of the BLM marches.

He had then decided to make the "significant" trip south with his brother and a friend.

Allan has 51 previous convictions for a total of 111 offences, including several for being drunk and disorderly.

Sentencing Allan to 28 months in prison, Judge Sally Cahill QC said that the assault was "appalling behaviour".

"You might have thought that you were here to protect statues, but that was the last thing you did when you got here,” she said.

Judge Cahill added the "widespread and large-scale acts of violence" that Allan participated in had come at a "huge cost to the public as a whole".

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.