A man has been jailed for 4-and-a-half years after a police officer's nose was broken during violent disorder in Southport.

Sean Beech, 55, of Len Cox Walk, Manchester, was captured on CCTV during the disorder in Southport on:- 30 July 2024.

Beech was seen to grab hold of the office's baton, which hit the officer in the face, breaking his nose.

Beech then threw the baton towards a line of officers and pushed and attempted to trip over another police officer. 

He was sentenced on Friday (22 November 2024) to a total of 54 months in prison - 40 months for Violent Disorder, 14 months to run consecutively for s20 assault and three months to run concurrently for assaulting an emergency worker.

It is the longest prison sentence to date for anyone convicted of being involved in the violent disorder in Southport.

It brings the total number of arrests to 151 with 107 people charged and 82 sentenced to a total of 172 years and 7 months.

Detective Inspector Paula Jones said:- "This was a shocking attack on a police officer which resulted in him suffering a broken nose. It is right that Beech should be brought to justice for his actions and receive a significant prison sentence. We will continue to put those responsible before the courts and would encourage anyone with information to keep coming forward.”

Anyone with information to assist the ongoing investigations is asked to contact Merseyside Police via Public Portal (mipp.police.uk) or anonymously via Crimestoppers on:- 0800 555 111.