The 52-year-old was in the thick of the disorder in Manchester city centre on August 3

Wearing a black helmet with a mounted camera, Warren Gilchrest watched the chaos unfold from behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Holding aloft recording equipment, the 52-year-old was in the thick of the disorder in Manchester city centre on August 3.

Weaving between the crowds, many thought he was merely an observer. But as a group of thugs set upon a lone black man in Piccadilly Gardens, Gilchrest’s true intentions became clear.

“Kill him… stamp on his f***ing head,” he yelled as a mob attacked the terrified victim. The man was kicked, punched and berated by hooligans intent from the start on causing trouble.

Gilchrest – who runs his own social media channel – describes himself as a ‘freedom fighter’ and ‘critical thinker’. He filmed the sickening attack, and was eventually brought to justice after cops watched the footage.

The video also led to detectives making a disturbing discovery at his home. As Gilchrest was arrested at the property on North Road, Clayton – 10 days after violence flared in the city centre – a hoard of Nazi paraphernalia was found, including images of the Swastika; a depiction of two young, saluting children; and other right-wing flags.

Manchester Crown Court was also told Gilchrest has 18 previous convictions for 67 offences. Up to 31 of those were for sex offences against children under 13. He has 14 offences of failing to comply with the notifications of the sex offender register on his record. Gilchrest was last before the courts in November 2023 for possession of an offensive weapon in a private place, namely two batons.

Gilchrest has now been jailed for three years – and made the subject of a criminal behaviour order for five years, banning him from the city centre – having admitted violent disorder in relation to the disorder in Manchester as trouble broke out across the UK.

As the man was attacked, Gilchrest encouraged others to get involved and screamed ‘get him… kill him… stamp on his f******g face’. He hurled vile abuse at cops trying to restore peace, as well as members of the public, including two young Asian women wearing hijabs.

As a large group confronted the women, Gilchrest shouted offensive remarks about Allah. In one video, he was heard joining in with chants of ‘save our kids’. A judge deemed that ‘rank hypocrisy’ as it was revealed Gilchrest had previous convictions for child sex offences.

As he filmed people kicking in the doors of Sainsbury’s store on Mosley Street – and targeting a vape shop – he was heard saying about police who moved them on: “You know why they do that, don’t you? You know why there are so many police for such a short amount of people? Because they are white, that’s it, I’m not being racist, but that’s it.”

Philip Hall, prosecuting, said: “He told officers ‘ethnic groups are running round with swords and machetes and baseball bats, excuse me if you can’t do anything about it’.”

Interviewed by detectives in relation to the video, he said cops had been racist towards white people. In mitigation, he Gilchrest, through his barrister, that he wanted to apologise.

“He feels appropriately embarrassed and ashamed,” Tobias Collins said. “He understands other rioters have received death threats. He is concerned if any of his previous convictions get reported in the press.”

Mr Collins said he was not asking for a reporting restriction banning the reporting of his criminal past, but merely wanted to make the court aware of his client’s concerns. “I have no power regarding that,” Judge Patrick Field KC replied.

Addressing Gilchrest, he said that evidence showed he had ‘deeply unpleasant and frankly a concerning extreme mindset’, adding: “You were motivated by racial and religious hostility and frank misogyny.”

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‘It is clear you were motivated by racial and religious hostility and frank misogyny’

A self-proclaimed ‘freedom fighter’ who filmed the sickening attack of a black man in Piccadilly Gardens as disorder broke out – while shouting ‘kill him’ – was caught out by his own footage.

As trouble flared in Manchester city centre on August 3, Warren Gilchrest recorded the vicious mob assault. He was heard taunting the man, laughing and ordering other yobs to ‘stamp on his f*****g face’.

Gilchrest’s video was played at Manchester Crown Court as he was sentenced for his part in the ugly scenes. The 52-year-old called police who stepped in to protect the man ‘vermin’, before bellowing at the man as he cowered on the floor: “How do you feel, d***head?”

In another clip, Gilchrest could be heard chanting with others: “Save our kids.” He also repeated offensive chants referring to Allah. In police drone footage, he was captured kicking out at a cop twice.

“In another section of the video, he confronts – with others – a group of Asian females who are wearing headscarves,” prosecutor Philip Hall said. “When a male comes to escort the women away, the defendant says to him ‘controlling women’, later adding ‘you’re getting slapped, women or not… yeah f*** off, drag your b**** away.”

Gilchrest, from Clayton, continued to film as a large group walked down Mosley Street, before they kicked in the doors of a Sainsbury’s story and targeted a vape shop. At one point, he turned the camera around and posed with another thug, shouting: “England, take it back.”

Gilchrest was arrested days later. Mr Hall said the video was ‘used to prosecute him and others. “The defendant runs his own social media channel in which he describes himself as a ‘freedom fighter’ and ‘critical thinker’,” he added.

The court heard he had numerous convictions, including for violence and child sex offences. Mitigating, Tobias Collins said: “On his behalf, whatever view is taken of his involvement, he has had the decency, for want of a better word, to hold his hands up.”

“Decency is not a word that comes to my lips easily in this case,” Judge Patrick Field KC said.

Mr Collins added: “He accepts what he said was unacceptable – or in his words – ‘bang out of order’. He wishes to apologise through me for this and accepts what he was saying that day was wrong.”

The barrister added that Gilchrest was ‘appropriately embarrassed and ashamed’ and said his client asked that his previous convictions would not be reported in the press as others involved in disorder had since received ‘death threats’.

Sentencing, Judge Field KC said: “You were not just a bystander, you were providing active encouragement towards those involved in the violent disorder. There is a constant flow of vile abuse and vitriol directed towards officers and other people. In particular, there is a distressing scene where you direct such abuse at two young women wearing [veils].

“That, particularly taken with the other material that was found, demonstrates to me that you have a deeply unpleasant and frankly concerning extreme mindset. It is clear you were motivated by racial and religious hostility and frank misogyny.”

Gilchrest, of North Road, Clayton, Manchester, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was jailed for three years – and made the subject of a criminal behaviour order for five years, banning him from an area of the city centre and prohibiting him from gathering in a group ‘that causes a person to fear for their safety’.

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