Philip Prescott, Gareth Metcalfe and David Hill have been locked up over scenes of violence in Southport and Liverpool city centre
Thugs who kicked down the wall of a house, threw bricks at police officers and kicked the windscreen of a van while being livestreamed on TikTok have been jailed. Violent scenes flared up in Southport, Liverpool city centre and Walton following the fatal stabbings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Police vans were set alight and officers were attacked during protesting on St Luke’s Road in the seaside town on the evening of July 30. A planned protest at the Pier Head the following weekend then descended into violence, with Merseyside Police forced to use riot gear after bricks and debris were thrown towards PCs.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Tuesday, that both Philip Prescott and Gareth Metcalfe were involved in the disturbance in Southport on the evening of July 30. Nardeen Nemat, appearing for the prosecution in relation to the former, told the court: “Following the killing of three young girls in Southport on the 29th of July, there was widespread disorder across the country. The first incident was on the 30th of July on St Luke’s Road in Southport.
“The focus of the violence was aimed at a mosque. There were chants including ‘who the f*** is Allah’. Items were thrown towards the mosque. Items were thrown at police officers including house bricks, wheelie bins and slabs of concrete. The incident lasted several hours. More than 60 police officers were injured. The mosque was damaged and a police vehicle was set alight.”
Prescott, of Sefton Street in Southport, was seen on CCTV and video footage captured by a police helicopter taking items out of a bin and hurling them towards police officers before “others followed suit”. The 38-year-old then “dragged another wheelie bin” towards a cordon formed by PCs before removing further objects and throwing them.
He subsequently kicked the wall of a residential property and climbed into the garden before running towards officers in possession of a brick, which he “launched towards” them. Prescott thereafter returned to the damaged wall once more and threw further bricks, including at the window of a police van.
Following his arrest on Lord Street in the town on August 5, he gave a prepared statement under interview in which he “said he had been drinking and was very upset by the death of the three children”. He then “heard there was something happening near to St Luke’s and went to see what was happening” and, although he could not recall his actions due to being under the influence of alcohol, stated that he was “ashamed by what he did and was sorry”.
Metcalfe, of Cambridge Gardens in Southport, was meanwhile said to have “remonstrated” and “pointed and shouted at officers”, being described as being “at the front of the action”. Christopher Taylor, prosecuting the 44-year-old, detailed how he was arrested at his home address later the same evening and gave a no comment interview.
David Hill meanwhile appeared before the court in relation to disorder in Liverpool city centre the following Saturday. The 38-year-old, of Bianca Street in Bootle, was caught on a livestreamed TikTok video kicking the windscreen of a police van near to St George’s Hall before another thug attempted to set the vehicle on fire.
Prescott has no previous convictions, His counsel Sinead Fearon said: “The defendant appears to be acting by himself. He does not appear to be with any particular group or pushing any cause.
“Whilst he did not necessarily instruct others to follow in his footsteps and he was not the first to throw a missile, it is very difficult to step away from the fact that his actions caused a very real ripple effect on others who were present. Once he begins throwing the first missile, it appears others view what he has done and follow without instruction.
“He has worked on and off for the last 12 years as a painter. He has managed to live up until this point without troubling the court system. He appears to come from a close family. They are appalled by his behaviour, but support him nonetheless.
“His dad is terminally ill. His very real fear is that he will not be there to look after his dad, which is what he should have been doing rather than behaving in the way he did on the 30th of July. It is his intention to learn from his folly.”
Metcalfe’s criminal record shows 21 previous convictions for 31 offences between 1995 and 2021 – including for “religiously aggravated assault”, sexual assault in 2016, a racially-aggravated public order offence in 2019 and harassment and breach of a non-molestation order during 2019 and 2020. The court heard of one arrest in January 2019 “against a background of domestic abuse” which saw him “start to struggle” when officers attempted to detain him before calling them “Muslim protectors and Muslim sh**gers”.
When a Probation Service worker subsequently attempted to call him in order to prepare a pre-sentence report in relation to his subsequent conviction, they received a voicemail recording of Metcalfe saying: “F*** Islam. Leave a message.”
Simran Garcha said on his behalf: “Those entrenched views which Mr Metcalfe made known were back in 2019, and some time has passed since then. Mr Metcalfe’s involvement is markedly different to those who threw missiles towards officers and those who caused damage to property.
“He accepts that, at some stages, he was at the front of a large crowd and was very much involved in the unrest that followed. He is extremely embarrassed by his behaviour and wishes to apologise to the court and the police.
“He concedes that his anger and frustration consumed him. He was swept up in the brutal murder that occurred close to home. He accepts that his behaviour was a shameful and disrespectful response, and accepts that his behaviour was deplorable.
“It is noteworthy that there was a large gap of offending between 2005 and 2015, demonstrating that Mr Metcalfe is capable of being a productive member of society. There is clearly another side to this man. His last conviction dates back to 2021, demonstrating a lengthy period of stability in his life.
“He has three children and a step son. He is mortified that his children may learn about his involvement and is heartbroken over any impact that will have on them.
“Mr Metcalfe is in poor physical health. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer six years ago, which impacted on his ability to work. He is in remission but still attends regular hospital appointments to keep that matter under review. Mr Metcalfe has previous battled depression and suicidal ideation.
“He had a business in the window cleaning industry, however, when diagnosed with bowel cancer, was unable to work for a number of years. However, prior to his arrest, he had been working again.
“His family know there is another side to the defendant who is kind, caring and compassionate when free from alcohol use and who needs help. He is ashamed that he has let his parents down.”
Hill has a total of 71 previous convictions for 120 offences including affray, actual bodily harm, burglary and escaping from lawful custody. He was handed a 12-month conditional discharge for theft on July 18 this year after entering a Shell garage on Longmoor Lane in Fazakerley and placing £83.10 of food items into his jacket before leaving without paying.
John Weate, defending, told the court: “From a young age, this is a defendant who has been ravaged by the misuse of class A substances. That is obvious when one looks at his previous convictions.
“He is the father of two young children. He is a defendant who, prior to his arrest, was homeless. He has been homeless for a period in excess of 12 months, since he was released from his last custodial sentence.
“He does have some good qualities. He has a sister who worked for the National Deaf Children’s Society. The defendant taught himself sign language. He assisted young children with learning sign language. That is something he hopes to continue with, as far as the future is concerned.
“Staff at the prison know him well. He has been trusted in the past to hold down jobs within the prison. He has already secured a job as a cleaner and has been put in touch with a drug related agency. Whatever the sentence is today, he is hoping to use this period of time constructively with the hope that, when he is released on licence, assistance can be given for him to get secure accommodation, remain drug free and build up something that will provide for himself and his children so far as his later life is concerned.
“The fact that he was homeless has some bearing. He did not have a full knowledge of everything that was going on at the time. When these incidents did break out, his involvement was something which he effectively was swept along with. He has asked me to tell the court that he is appalled that he involved himself in this activity at a time when the people of Southport were mourning the loss of the three children.”
All three defendants admitted violent disorder. Prescott gave a thumbs up to the public gallery as he was led down to the cells after receiving 28 months in prison.
Metcalfe nodded as he was handed 40 months, then muttered an inaudible comment to his co-defendant. His dad told him “see you Gareth, love you” as he was escorted out of the courtroom, while his mum added: “It’s over.”
Hill was locked up for two years. He then asked “how long did I get?” before adding “thank you” after being informed by a security guard.
Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: “On Monday the 29th of July, the peace in Southport was shattered when three young girls were stabbed and killed at a dance class. In the same incident, several other children and adults were seriously injured.
“In the aftermath of those terrible events, the local community came together to grieve and show their support for all of those affected by that tragedy. The respectful vigil that took place the following evening demonstrated all that is good about the vast majority of the inhabitants of Merseyside.
“At the same time, a small minority from Merseyside and beyond – fuelled by misinformation and racial or religious hatred – were intent on causing mayhem. In participating in the events that followed, they were not exercising their right to freedom of speech or to lawful non-violent protest.
“Rather, they were exploiting the anguish of others either to further their own warped ideology or simply as an excuse for vandalism, intimidation and violence. They are criminals, and they do not represent all the decent people who were appalled by their behaviour and left to clean up their mess.
“The disorder that began in Southport spread over the following days to other parts of Merseyside and to other cities in the UK. As a result, many communities throughout the country were forced to live in fear of further outbreaks of violent unrest.
“None of what has happened recently can properly be described as mindless behaviour. Everyone involved acted deliberately and knew exactly what they were doing, and so must accept responsibility for the impact of their conduct – not only on their own community, but also across the nation.”
The judge described Metcalfe as being “at the forefront of the disorder” in Southport, having “adopted a fighting stance”, adding: “This was clearly racially or religiously motivated disorder, targeting primarily the Muslim community but also the police officers. who were doing their best to protect them and their property This particular incident was made all the more serious because it took place soon after and in the same area as the tragic events of the previous day. I have no doubt that your actions added to the distress already felt by the local community.
“You have an appalling criminal record. You have demonstrated an established pattern of racially motivated behaviour and an entrenched racist attitude towards Muslims. Although you say you would never act on those views, that is exactly what you did.
“You have indicated that you are embarrassed by your conduct and apologise for it. Given your deeply held racist views, I approach that with some scepticism.”
Judge Flewitt told Prescott: “You claim to have become involved because you were drunk. That is no excuse and it is certainly no comfort to those who were affected by your actions. I take into account your previous good character and the other mitigation advanced, including your remorse and the ill health of your father.”
To Hill, the judge added: “I accept that your involvement was short lived and amounted to a single incident, after which you withdrew. You have an extensive criminal record. I recognise that you have a history of drug addiction and, more recently, homelessness and that you intend to make constructive use of your time in custody.”
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