Man sentenced after city centre protests

Hundreds of people gathered near the Brian Clough Statue on King Street as part of demonstrations last August

A 19-year-old man who was arrested during protests in Nottingham city centre has been sentenced.

Owen Lawrence, of no fixed address, was charged under section 4 of the Public Order Act following demonstrations on 3 August last year.

On Friday, he was handed a 12-month community order at Nottingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to the charge in April.

Lawrence received a mental health requirement as well as rehabilitation as part of his sentence.

He was among a number of people to be charged in the wake of the disorder that broke out across the country following the killings of three young girls at a dance class in Southport.

Earlier this year, Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the "sadistic" murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.

The demonstrations in Nottingham, which saw chanting from some far-right and anti-fascist protesters, were among a number to take place in towns and cities across the UK in the wake of the killings.

Police previously said events in the city remained "largely peaceful".

'Let people help you'

Lawrence had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and theft.

His hearing had been adjourned so he could be assessed, the court heard.

Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said Lawrence believed he was "worthless" and thought everything was his fault, and added: "You get frustrated and you get into trouble."

He told him "you have to love yourself" and "let people help you" as he handed out his sentence.