Dominic Casciani and Callum May
Reporting from Liverpool Crown Court

The first of the men to be sentenced this morning at Liverpool Crown Court is John Paul O’Malley, 43, of Cambridge Gardens in Southport. He was part of the riot in the town on 30 July.

Prosecutor Chris Taylor shows the court footage of a mob throwing a “barrage of missiles” at police officers who are unprotected by riot gear. Wheelie bins of debris are set alight and walls demolished to provide bricks to pelt the officers.

Pictures from the scenes show O’Malley in the middle of a group that rips a front bumper from a police van to throw at officers.

“He was active in and at the heart of the violence,” says Taylor.

O’Malley was arrested on 4 August and made no comment in his police interview. He was convicted on Monday – and his sentencing was brought forward to today. He has two previous convictions – one relating to drink driving and the other being assault by beating.

As he watches the footage of the mob cheering the attacks on the police, Judge Andrew Menary KC says: “It seems to me there were hundreds of people observing, as if this was some sort of Tuesday night entertainment.

“All of them should be frankly ashamed of themselves.”

Thomas Copeland
Live reporter

We're going to bring you the latest from Liverpool Crown Court this morning, where two men are set to be sentenced for their roles in recent unrest.

William Nelson Morgan, 69, of Linton Street, Walton, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. He was part of a crowd throwing bricks at police officers in Liverpool, court documents say.

John O'Malley, 43, of Cambridge Gardens in Southport, has pleaded guilty to violent disorder. He was identified by a member of the public who saw footage of rioting in Southport.

We'll cover the hearing here and you can stream the second part - the judge's sentencing remarks - when it begins shortly. Just press the watch live button at the top of the page to see the judge in vision - we won't be seeing the two defendants, as is the norm with sentencing streams.

Image source, Sophie Cook

We've seen some eye-catching pictures on social media of flares and fireworks in central London last night - but it looks like they weren't related to the recent unrest across England.

Instead it was most likely a celebration by Algerian football fans, marking the anniversary of one of their country's oldest clubs. The Met say they're not investigating.

Sophie Cook, who was at the Anchor pub along the river, tells the BBC that "very suddenly loads of fireworks went off on Southwark Bridge and Millennium Bridge" and "completely lit up the sky".

"It was about 10pm and lasted a couple of minutes, and then nothing," she says.

Hollie Cole
Live reporter

Police are continuing to make arrests over the recent unrest - here's the latest:

Belfast Police arrested five people on suspicion of riotous behaviour following disorder in the city last night.

In the north-west of England, Greater Manchester Police made seven arrests in connection to violent disorder at the weekend. Cumbria Police said it arrested three men yesterday over online posts intending to stir up religious hatred.

Cleveland Police arrested one man at an anti-racism protest in Middlesbrough yesterday after he failed to comply with a request to remove the face covering he was wearing to "hide his identity", the force said.

Three people were arrested yesterday by Northamptonshire Police for public order offences at a planned protest in the town.

Bristol Police arrested a man after a brick was thrown at police yesterday evening, and Essex Police arrested one man in Southend on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon.

Five people were arrested by Kent Police after groups of anti-immigration and counter-protesters gathered in Chatham.

The Met Police arrested 10 people yesterday evening in London in relation to violent disorder in Whitehall on 31 July.

In anticipation of last night's potential unrest, almost all of the businesses on this street in west Bristol had boarded up their windows.

But this morning, as you can see below, it is a completely different scene as storeowners are now taking down those boards after a showing of about 1,500 anti-racist protesters gathered in the streets in a largely peaceful demonstration.

Four men have been charged with violent disorder and one man has been charged with criminal damage following protests across Manchester last weekend:

• Marcus Foster, 24, of Oswald Road, Chorlton, has been charged with violent disorder
• Paul Smith, 21, of Keynsham Road, Manchester, has been charged with violent disorder
• Steven Miller. 38, of Farnworth, Bolton, has been charged with violent disorder
• Joseph Ley, 30, of Hardman Street, Stockport, has been charged with violent disorder
• Oliver Chapman, 23, of Connaught Avenue, Whitefield, has been charged with criminal damage

All five men are due to appear in Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court later today, police said.

Thomas Copeland
Live reporter

Were there riots last night?

Police were braced for violence, with more than 100 protests anticipated.

But these fears proved unfounded. Thousands of anti-racism demonstrators turned out peacefully instead.

Why are people rioting?

The fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport sparked the worst unrest in a decade.

Almost immediately after the attack, social media posts falsely speculated that the suspect was an asylum seeker - and the violence was fuelled by anti-immigration sentiment and the far-right.

What about now?

Police and politicians have cautiously welcomed the calmer scenes last night.

But preparations are in place for more potential disorder this weekend.

• Get up to speed with this full BBC explainer

A man from Carlisle will appear in court later on charges of encouraging violence online.

Stuart Burns, 41, of Briar Bank, Carlisle, is accused of allegedly posting online content encouraging violence against police officers and promoting public disorder, Cumbria Police says.

He's been charged with two counts of an offence under Section 127 of the Communications Act and has been remanded in custody.

Thomas Copeland
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

The mayor of London has thanked those "who came out peacefully to show London stands united against racism and Islamophobia."

The capital had braced itself for a night of violence but instead - like most of England - large peaceful protests were held.

In a post on X, external, Sadiq Khan also thanked "our heroic police force working round the clock to keep Londoners safe" after 1,300 officers were deployed.

"And to those far-right thugs still intent on sowing hatred and division - you will never be welcome here," the mayor adds.

Thomas Copeland
Live reporter

The chair of the Police Federation which represents 145,000 rank and file police officers in England and Wales says it's too early to say if the run of violent protests is over.

Tiffany Lynch says swift prosecutions are helping to dampen the riots - but fake news on social media still needs to be dealt with.

She says data is still being collected but it's estimated more than 100 police officers have been injured in the disorder over the last week. (We heard about some of those injuries earlier).

She tells Radio 4's Today programme that officers are always aware they could be hurt in the course of their duties - but at the moment there is "heightened anxiety".

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent

The policing minister says "all options are being looked at", when asked whether convicted rioters could be banned from football matches - as has been reported in the newspapers this morning.

Dame Diana Johnson also tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that rumoured far-right disorder failed to materialise last night because police had been mobilised to communities in large numbers, and because of the message sent by the first sentences being handed down.

Asked about fatigue among police officers working rest days, Dame Diana responds: "I understand that concern and that's why we needed to have a show of strength last night."

We're continuing to hear from police chiefs, including Chief Constable Serena Kennedy from Merseyside Police.

Asked why she thinks last night's disorder wasn't as bad as expected, she says she thinks the publicity around the number of police being deployed and the high-profile sentencings helped.

But she tells BBC Radio 5 Live her officers are still facing an impact - including psychological effects such as panic attacks.

"Across the last seven days I've had 93 officers who have been injured", she adds - such as an officer with two broken legs, another with two broken wrists.

As we've been reporting, counter-protesters rallied yesterday evening against anti-immigration demonstrations in English towns and cities.

The below map shows where the largest anti-racism protests took place:

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More now from the government's policing minister Dame Diana Johnson who says those involved in violence will be tracked down - including anyone who encouraged criminality online.

"It's not just those physical acts on the street... but it's also what's happening online," she says.

"If you do stuff online we will come for you just as much as we will come for you for what you do on the streets of our country if you're carrying out criminal disorder and violence."

Johnson adds that social media companies need to understand they have a responsibility not to allow posts that incite racial hatred, and that ministers were in discussions with major platforms.

Hannah Miller
Political correspondent

The policing minister says she is "cautiously welcoming" the scenes last night.

Dame Diana Johnson said the counter-protests were an example of the UK's "tradition of peaceful protest", demonstrating that the majority of people are "tolerant" and "law-abiding".

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Johnson suggests that police have intelligence about protests and processions over the next few days.

She says the mobilisation of police officers to locations across the country "has had a good effect", and thanked officers who have faced "unacceptable" levels of violence.

Louisa Pilbeam
Reporting from Sutton, south London

Image source, PA Media

Met Commissioner Mark Rowley spoke to us after a dawn raid in Sutton, south London, where a man was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder against a police officer.

The Met chief said that 70% of people who have been arrested by police have previous criminal convictions and urged people not to be swayed by far-right ideology.

Around 20 officers were involved in the morning raid - which took place on a house in a residential area at 05:30 BST.

The man who was arrested was taken to Sutton police station for questioning.

Rowley said his teams were prepared for further protests at the weekend but warned that anyone involved in violence or racism would be caught as officers are scouring CCTV footage and other evidence.

Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, spoke to us earlier, saying 70% of the people arrested over violent anti-immigrant protests already have criminal records.

Here's what he said:

Jayne McCormack
NI political correspondent

Executive ministers will meet later ahead of the Northern Ireland Assembly being recalled to condemn recent violence in Belfast.

A successful recall petition will see MLAs return from their summer break to discuss the weekend's events.

Businesses in the city were attacked after an anti-immigration protest erupted into disorder.

It is understood that Chief Constable Jon Boutcher will brief the executive at today's meeting.

• You can read more from Belfast here

Also speaking to the BBC this morning is a former chief constable of Durham Police, Mike Barton, who says he finds the public response to the anti-immigration riots "inspirational".

He tells BBC Breakfast the police face an unprecedented threat from those encouraging unrest online - but "last night was a raging success because the police and the public worked together".

He adds: "The great British public showed themselves that policing isn't about the police, good order in society isn't about imposing it with an iron fist and a jackboot, it's about the community saying we want to live peacefully and we're gonna do something about it.

"I think it was inspirational overnight."