Joseph Pointon travelled to Hanley near Stoke on Trent to sort his mortgage on his first home but got caught up in violent clashes amidst the Southport riots, throwing a brick at police officers
A rioter who claimed he had only gone into town to get a mortgage ended up in jail after he flew into a fit of aggression which culminated in him throwing a brick at a police officer.
Joseph Pointon was heading into Hanley, Staffordshire, to secure a loan for his first time home with his partner when he got involved in one of the riots on August 3. The outbreak of violence was one of many sweeping the country this summer following the attacks in Southport in July.
In a frenzy, the 23-year-old tore off a plastic drainpipe and hurled it at officers. He also wreaked havoc by dismantling parts of a roundabout on Town Road and struck an officer’s riot shield with a thrown brick.
Pointon was jailed this week as a court heard he had been one of the thugs spotted at the disorder. Prosecutor Dylan Wragg told Stoke crown court: “He was seen to rip a big piece of drainpipe off the side of a house and launch it at the police line.
“He later dislodged a metal pole from the roundabout at Town Road but it was not thrown. He was involved in dismantling parts of the roundabout. He threw a sizeable brick towards a police officer which connected with a riot shield. He picked up a scaffolding pole and attempted to launch it towards the police line.”
Pointon was later identified and admitted to the charge of violent disorder, reports Stoke on Trent Live. Andrew Turnock, mitigating, argued that Pointon, with no prior convictions, had behaved out of character, noting that his visit to Hanley was to consult a mortgage broker alongside his partner to secure a loan for their first home.
Mr Turnock said: “He was looking forward to a bright future. Since his arrest all that has unravelled. He has had to come to terms with the upset and anxiety he has caused to his family. They are all distressed, shocked and upset.”
“This was not an intentional involvement. His grave error of judgement was to see the crowds of almost exclusively men being violent in the stand-off with the police. His curiosity was triggered and he went to see what was going on.”
“He got very quickly overtaken by the group mentality. It became a stand-off between the crowd and the police. Shortly after the defendant threw the missiles. It was outrageous disorder against the police. He got swept away.”
“He ripped off a drainpipe, threw a stone and dismantled a roundabout, behaviour that is utterly out of character. His family have seen the footage. They can’t believe it is the same person. It was a severe lapse of judgement.”
Jailing Pointon for 28 months, judge Graeme Smith told Pointon, from Biddulph: “Yours is the most difficult to understand. You attended to see a mortgage broker. You have no previous convictions. You have no mental health issues. This appears to be completely out of character.”
“It is said that you were overtaken by a group mentality but others were not overtaken by the same mentality. You threw at least three items at the police in two different locations, a plastic drainpipe, a large brick and a metal pole. You helped dismantle the metal parts of a roundabout. The throwing of missiles has the potential to cause very serious injury.”
