Southampton Protest Violence: Two Men Jailed for Attacks on Police Officers
Two men have been sentenced for violent disorder following a protest in Southampton linked to the murder of Henry Nowak. Connor Bishop, 24, received a sentence of two years and eight months, while Leon O'Leary, 41, was jailed for three years and one month. Both individuals had previously entered guilty pleas to charges of violent disorder.
These are the initial convictions stemming from disturbances last Tuesday night, which saw projectiles, including wheelie bins and chairs, launched at officers. The unrest led to injuries among eleven police personnel and a police dog.
The protest was triggered by the release of police bodycam footage depicting 18-year-old Henry Nowak handcuffed and dying after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, 23. Digwa was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years.
In total, 21 individuals, including Bishop from Southampton and O'Leary from Basingstoke, have faced charges in connection with the disorder. The crowd initially demonstrated outside the city centre police station before moving near the Digwa family residence.
Digwa had stabbed Nowak with a large blade, claiming it was for reasons related to his Sikh faith. He then falsely reported being the victim of a racist attack to responding officers, leading to Nowak's arrest instead of his attacker. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has since initiated an investigation into the police force's handling of the incident.
