'Highly-paid nuclear worker' jailed over riot

Gavin Pinder, 47, had a "highly paid, responsible job" at the Hinkley Point power station in Somerset

A man with a highly-paid job in the nuclear industry has been jailed over taking part in a riot in Southport.

Gavin Pinder, 47, who worked at Hinkley Point in Somerset, travelled to the town on July 30 in the wake of the attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in which three children were killed.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the Failsworth, Greater Manchester dad had been recorded throwing objects at the police near to the town’s mosque.

Pinder, who claimed a police officer hit him with a baton after he questioned why information about the attack was being suppressed, was jailed for two years and four months after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

'A recreational element'

Michael Johnson, defending, said Pinder had travelled to Southport and congregated with others in a pub.

"He understood the focus of the protest was to be a police station where he believed the detainee to be held. He did not know that a mosque was going to be the focus of the protest and didn’t learn that until he arrived back in Manchester the day after," Mr Johnson said.

Footage of the disorder showed Pinder shout at officers, throw a traffic cone and throw a smaller object towards them.

He was arrested at a pub in Manchester on August 17.

The court heard Pinder, father to a four-year-old, had 10 previous convictions, including for breaching an international football banning order.

Sentencing him, Judge Simon Medland KC said: "You threw two objects at police, were clearly seen to be laughing and taking the view, perhaps, this had a recreational element to you.

"How this sits with the character references in your case and your highly responsible, very well-paid job is difficult to reconcile."

Jonathan Duerden (left) and Joseph Buckley also admitted violent disorder.

Also jailed were Jonathan Duerden, 31, and Joseph Buckley, 44, who also admitted violent disorder.

Chris Taylor, prosecuting, said Duerden, a handyman from Colne, Lancashire, threw a brick that bounced off the top of a police carrier and encouraged the crowd to advance towards police.

He told police he travelled to Southport to lay flowers at a vigil, but said he had taken a cocktail of drugs including cannabis, ketamine and cocaine along with alcohol.

Andrew McInnes, defending, told the court the defendant had ADHD, was barely literate or numerate and his family believed he had been addicted to cannabis since the age of 13.

He said: “It certainly seems this defendant is more of a follower than a leader.”

Duerden was jailed for two years.

The court heard Buckley, of Litherland, Merseyside, was the joint owner of a civil engineering business and was seen on footage throwing a brick towards police.

In interview, he said he had thrown the brick because he was angry after an officer "assaulted him with a shield".

Des Lennon, defending, said Buckley had believed he was going to a peaceful vigil but had stayed for about two hours after violence broke out because of "morbid curiosity".

Jailing him for 16 months, Judge Medland said: "You are an intelligent and capable person and you could readily have left. You didn’t, you involved yourself in this."

Additional reporting by PA Media