60-year-old man jailed for disorderly conduct after he claimed to ‘bite’ an officer in the face

A 60-year-old man who said he would bite a police officer in the face at a post-Southport protest before calling the mess “goodnight” in a family group chat has been jailed.

On August 4, Martin McCluskey was seen on footage throwing “handfuls of rocks” at police officers and telling them to “go away!” outside the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth, where the asylum seekers were staying.

The defendant, of Manor Road, Tamworth, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to two counts of violent disorder and assaulting an ambulance worker.

Prosecuting barrister Rajbir Punia told the court that McCluskey was in a “flooding crowd” of about 300 protesters and took part in the violence for more than an hour and a half.

Riots broke out across the country after false claims were made about a gunman accused of murdering three children in Southport, Merseyside, on July 29.

Ms Punia said: “This defendant engaged in direct violence and encouraged others to engage in violence. His participation was long and persistent.”

In the footage shown to the court, the defendant was wearing a white T-shirt with the letters ‘England’ on the front.

In one clip, McCluskey tells a police officer, “I’m going to bite your goddamn face off.”

Ms Punia said McCluskey “walked” around the front line of officers, filming them on his phone and swearing at them.

She added that in the footage, when things are thrown at the officers, the defendant is “cheering with his hands in the air” and “appears to be enjoying the attack.”

McCluskey posted a message to the family’s group chat about an hour after he left the protest, calling the mess a “goodnight” where he “gave it to the old score.”

A police sergeant involved in the riots was hit by rocks thrown by McCluskey and would have suffered “significant injuries” had he not been wearing a protective headgear, the court was told.

The bottle, which the defendant kicked, broke and caused “immediate” pain to another police officer, Ms Punia said.

In a police interview, McCluskey said he had “no idea what the rally was for” and thought it would be a “peaceful” protest.

McCluskey, who is a full-time carer for his wife, bowed his head as he listened to the sentencing hearing via video link from HMP Dovegate, wearing a gray prison jumper under a fluorescent orange vest.

Daniel Lister, defending, told the court: “I say he expresses his remorse – that is supported by his guilty plea at the first opportunity at the crown court.

“He’s not actually a violent person – he’s not someone who gets involved in violence.

“This is a gentleman on the other side, he is clearly a loving father.”

Recorder Abigail Nixon said: “It’s hard to see that you really regret what you’ve done because of your gloating in the messages about an hour after you got home.

“I completely reject the fact that you went thinking it was going to be a peaceful protest that you knew nothing about. I’m sure you knew that the protest was against the presence of asylum seekers.

“I’m glad you knew exactly what was going to happen. The police were subjected to violence for several hours – I heard some officers describe it as the worst mess they had ever been called to.

“You were clearly part of that terrible scene. You did not watch from the side for a short time – you were cruel and threatened the police.

“I am quite certain that you were at the forefront of the violence, actively encouraging others to participate.”