Bristol woman guilty of rioting at Kill the Bill protest

Charly Pitman is due to be sentenced in July

A woman with a "prominent role" in the violence after a Kill the Bill protest has been found guilty of riot.

Charly Pitman, 24, from Bristol, is the 18th person to be convicted of offences committed during the disorder outside Bridewell Police Station in March 2021.

She was found guilty by a jury who deliberated for about two hours following a three-day trial.

Pitman, of Brislington, has been released on bail ahead of sentencing on 7 July.

Ten other people have previously admitted riot, while five others have either been convicted of or admitted offences committed in Bristol on 21 March, Avon and Somerset Police said.

During Pitman's trial prosecutors told jurors how she positioned herself at the front of the crowd, challenging officers as they attempted to separate protesters from the neighbourhood police station.

The Kill the Bill protest started peacefully before descending into violence later in the evening

Jurors were shown footage of Pitman acting aggressively towards the officers, striking their shields and helmets, and were told her actions had caused the officers and others to fear for their safety.

Det Supt James Riccio said: "Charly Pitman may not have used the highest levels of violence but she took up a prominent role at the front of the crowd and her actions undoubtedly escalated tensions and encouraged others to attack police officers.

"The fact the jury took little more than an hour to convict her highlights how clear her offending was.

"She denied acting together with others with a common purpose but the jury evidently had no doubt she was guilty of riot."