Man jailed for stealing PC's baton during disorder

Guy Sullivan had already been sentenced for stealing alcohol from a Tesco Express

A man who stole a police officer’s baton, which lead to an officer being unable to defend themselves during last week’s disorder in Plymouth, has been jailed for 26 months for violent disorder.

Guy Sullivan, 43, had already been sentenced for stealing alcohol from a Tesco Express, a jail term which was reduced from 16 months to 10.

The sentences, handed out at Plymouth Crown Court, will run consecutively, meaning he has been sentenced to a total of three years behind bars.

The court was shown footage of Sullivan jumping down from a wall and grabbing PC Leon Hannaford’s baton during public disorder on 5 August.

'Come down hard'

It showed the officer was then surrounded by assailants and went to the ground, curling himself up in ball.

Prosecuting, Lewis Aldous said the officer "sustained injuries to his head", but was not seriously hurt.

He told the court that the police baton was later recovered from the home of another defendant charged in relation to the disorder.

Judge Robert Linford said the courts would "come down hard" on those people party to the disorder.

He said: "PC Hannaford did what he could to keep the mob at bay, and that’s what it was, a mob."

Chris Cuddihee, defending counsel, told the court that Sullivan had drunkenly stumbled into the disturbance.

"He thought he was being funny, was being amusing.

"He didn’t think through the consequences,” he said.

Mr Cuddihee said Sullivan would miss his five-month-old son’s first Christmas because he would be in prison.

He added that Sullivan was not a racist as his father is Greek and his middle name is Andreas.

PC Hannaford was in court and at the end of the hearing, Sullivan said: "I'm so, so sorry. I do apologise."

Additional reporting by PA Media