Man jailed for attacking PC during protest disorder

Stephen Wilson was identified following a media appeal

A man who punched a police officer during protests in Nottingham city centre has been jailed for four months.

Stephen Wilson was among hundreds of people who gathered near the Brian Clough Statue in King Street on 3 August.

Nottinghamshire Police said when disorder broke out, Wilson struck the officer in the face with "substantial force", leaving him with a damaged tooth, facial bruising and a cut and swollen lip.

The 35-year-old, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to assault of an emergency worker and possession of a Class B drug at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Wilson was given a four-month sentence

Nottinghamshire Police said the officer had volunteered to work on the day of the protests, which were among several taking place around the country following the killings of three young girls at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside.

He was attacked while attempting to assist a colleague in arresting another man.

Officers later found cannabis in Wilson's cell following his arrest.

Ch Insp Karl Thomas said: "No emergency worker should be subjected to violence of this nature. It is not, and never will be, part of the job description.

"I'd like to thank the people who helped us to identify Wilson as the attacker following a public appeal."