Man, 81, becomes eldest person convicted in far-right riots after 'stamping' on protestor's leg

Keith Edwards, 81, has become the oldest person to have been convicted of participating in the far-right riots that exploded across the UK following the Southport stabbings where three children were stabbed to death

An 81-year-old pensioner has become the oldest person convicted of taking part in the far-right riots that swept the UK this summer - after a court heard how he stamped on the leg of a protester who was being detained by police.

Retired art worker Keith Edwards admitted attacking the man, who had been involved in a fight with rival demonstrators, during disturbances in Nottingham city centre on August 3 this year. Edwards was arrested when trouble flared following a face-off between right-wing and anti-fascists groups, which saw bottles and glasses thrown.

Footage shown to Nottingham Magistrates' Court today (Mon) showed him telling a woman, 'Children were killed in Southport by your friends' - before he was later seen strolling over to where three police officers were holding a man face down on the ground and stamping once on the back of his leg. Edwards, who claimed he became "embroiled" in the violence after going out to buy a loaf of bread, was then heard on a subsequent bodycam recording telling officers it was the first time he'd ever been arrested.

He was due to stand trial for using abusive or threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear of, or provoke, unlawful violence, a charge he denied - but pleaded guilty to assault by beating, which was accepted by prosecutors. District Judge Sunil Khanna handed Edwards, who was wearing a shirt and tie, a 28-day prison sentence, suspended for six months, and said he must pay a total of £239 in costs and a victim surcharge.

He told the divorced OAP: "There was a large scale demonstration which descended into civil disorder. The police were struggling to deal with what was going on. You got yourself embroiled in this. A male who was getting beaten up was detained by police. He was face down on the ground with his hands behind his back and no threat to any person.

"Despite that, you walked up and stamped on the back of his leg. It is beyond me why you felt the need to do this, because clearly everything was under control. What you did was wholly unnecessary. In my view, it is extremely serious, set against the backdrop of serious disorder.Until today you were a man of impeccable character. You have never done anything like this before, and I am quite sure you will never do anything like this again."

Denis Quinn, prosecuting, told the court the incident came after three young girls were killed during an attack in Southport on July 29. He said "misinformation" spread about the identity of the alleged attacker online, adding violence spread from Lancashire across the UK, arriving in Nottingham five days later.

Mr Quinn said: "Edwards was to tell the police he knew nothing about this protest and counter-protest, and came to shop for a loaf of bread on the tram. He saw what was happening in the Old Market Square and got drawn in. When he was first arrested, he was actually de-arrested because there was no immediate evidence of what he was involved in. But police began scouring CCTV, which brought the identity of offenders to the fore.

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"Police had total control, and we see Edwards go over and stamp on that person's leg. Edwards corrected police who said he had kicked the man, telling them, 'No, I have stamped on him'."

In footage shown to the court, Edwards, of The Meadows, Nottingham, was also seen standing with a group of people chanting 'Send him back'. Jim Buckley, defending, said: "Clearly, this is out of character for him. He is 81 and has no previous convictions or cautions.

"He was not involved with any of the protests. He saw what was happening, went to take a look, and became embroiled. He accepts what he was doing was not legally justifiable, but was done with the motive of helping the police, even if that motive was misguided. It was an assault on an unknown person who was not injured."

Speaking outside court, Edwards said: "The only thing that made me stop was three women who were shouting, 'What about the child abuse gangs in Rochdale and Rotherham?' I was complaining about the gangs, and the fact police don't prosecute them.

"It was the thought of children being abused that pressed my alarm button. All I wanted to do was make sure the chap didn't get away. I thought, 'If the police at Manchester Airport can do it, so can I."

Edwards, who said he was divorced and didn't have any children or grandchildren, claimed he thought the far-right violence was "terrible", adding he "didn't believe there is such a thing as left or right" in politics. He said he didn't vote in the last election, saying he thought "all politicians were as bad as each other".

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