Three admit charges for taking part in protest

L-R: Grant Braidwood, Andrew Ball and Kerry Gove all pled guilty to violent disorder

Three people have pleaded guilty to violent disorder charges following a protest in Plymouth.

Kerry Gove, 34, of Maker View; Andrew Ball, 49, of Lisson Grove, and Grant Braidwood, 40, of Elliott Road, all appeared at Plymouth Magistrates' Court.

The trio were arrested by Devon and Cornwall Police after a violent protest in the city centre on 5 August when protesters clashed.

All three are due to be sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday.

Police officers were injured during the violent protests which saw two groups square off either side of Royal Parade near Guildhall.

It was one of several protests across the UK sparked by the killing of three young girls in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July.

'Gratuitous assault'

The court heard Gove handed herself into police and said she gets "gobby and violent" when drunk but was "tipsy and not completely drunk" on 5 August.

Prosecutor Gareth Warden said: "Gove was captured in footage six times being actively involved in disorder."

The court heard she ignored police instructions to go back and pushed, kicked and punched police shields.

Gove also filmed police on her mobile phone and demanded their shoulder numbers, the court heard.

She told police she had been drinking in the city centre and was unsure what the protest was about and was "stupid to get involved".

The district judge said it was "just a gratuitous assault" and remanded Gove in custody to be sentenced.

'Very unwise'

Mr Warden said Ball was seen a number of times in the middle of a group pushing back at police lines in "quite chaotic scenes".

He said Ball then ran aggressively towards a police dog and its handler pulled the dog back as it launched at his stomach.

He also had a can in his hand throwing its contents around as a number of missiles were thrown, said Mr Warden.

The judge said it was "very unwise to be aggressive towards a police dog handler".

Ball was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.

'Situation escalated'

Braidwood was seen pushing towards officers on the front-line for an "extended period of time", Mr Warden told the court.

Police recognised Braidwood from previous dealings with him, and he ran towards a pub in the city centre to another altercation as the "situation escalated", the court heard.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced with the other two defendants on Friday.