Man in court over violence at Sheffield protest

Hundreds of people turned out to protests in Sheffield city centre

A man sobbed as he became the first person to appear before a court following disorder in South Yorkshire over the weekend.

Curtis Coulson, 30, wiped away tears with a tissue as he sat in the glass-fronted dock and denied affray at Sheffield Magistrates' Court.

The alleged offence relates to an incident outside Sheffield City Hall on Sunday in which he is alleged to have swung a stick at a woman during a demonstration involving far-right and anti-fascist groups.

He was remanded in custody and will go on trial at the same court in September.

Mr Coulson, of Water Slacks Close, Sheffield, is alleged to have approached a woman with a stick, which had come from a broken placard, and waved it in front of her in a threatening manner while masked.

Dressed in a black waterproof jacket, he called out to his mother, who was in court, as he was led from the dock.

An anti-immigration protest was planned for Sheffield City Hall on Sunday as part of a series around England, many of which turned violent.

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