“They were frightened and terrified”: A trip to Wetherspoons ended in jail
Anthony Whitelegg had travelled into the city centre to meet friends
A businessman ended up in jail after a trip to Wetherspoons turned sour. Anthony Whitelegg, 40, had travelled into Manchester city centre to meet friends in the pub.
But Manchester Crown Court heard that he joined a ‘mob’ which left members of the public in terror. Far-right activists had organised a demonstration in Piccadilly Gardens after three young girls died in Southport.
There was a large police presence as officers tried to keep the far-right group and counter protesters away from each other. Prosecutors told how Whitelegg and another man, 18-year-old Aaron Davy, were both standing within the far-right group.
They could be seen on footage, as demonstrators became involved in a stand-off with officers in the gardens on August 3. “You both should have left the area, but you decided not to do so,” Judge John Potter told the pair.
They both then travelled down Mosley Street, where a Sainsbury’s store was looted. The judge said Whitelegg and Davy, who had his face covered, were both ‘part of the mob’ on the street, although they didn’t enter the shop.
Both men were handed alcohol by a thief who had stolen it from Sainsbury’s. Whitelegg and Davy both pleaded guilty to violent disorder. “Members of the public were frightened and terrified as to what was taking place,” the judge said.
Whitelegg’s barrister Rebecca Filletti said of the defendant: “He had gone to Wetherspoons with some friends. He hadn’t gone there with a plan of getting involved in this.”
He was ‘ashamed’ to have ended up in court, and handed himself in to police after realising officers wanted to speak with him, she said. Ms Filletti said Whitelegg wasn’t personally involved in any violence, and had a ‘peripheral’ role as ‘part of the melee’. She said he had recently started his own business after building up experience working for a fencing company.
Ms Filetti said Whitelegg had kept out of trouble for about 20 years following previous convictions for violence in the mid 2000s. Davy’s barrister did not offer mitigation on his behalf, after the judge indicated he would not send the defendant to prison.
Whitelegg, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 25 months in prison. Davy, of Liney Road, Cheadle, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was ordered to observe a curfew for three months, from 9pm to 7am. He was also told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days
Far-Right Criminals 