Student protester jailed for throwing fire extinguisher

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Quote:A student who admitted throwing a fire extinguisher from the roof of a central London building during the student fees protests has been jailed.

Edward Woollard, 18, from Hampshire, was among protesters who broke into the Tory party headquarters and emerged on the roof on 10 November.

He was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting at an earlier hearing to committing violent disorder.

Sixty-six people were arrested following the violent protests.

The sixth-form student was filmed throwing an empty metal fire extinguisher from the seventh-floor of 30 Millbank as hundreds of people gathered in a courtyard below.

The canister narrowly missed a line of police officers attempting to protect the looted and vandalised building from further damage.

The Brockenhurst College student later went with his mother to a police station and admitted to throwing the extinguisher after footage of the incident was shown on television.

Woollard, from Dibden Purlieu, in the New Forest, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.
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It is my judgment, exceedingly fortunate that your action did not result in death or very serious injury either to a police officer or a fellow protester”

End Quote Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC
'Deeply regrettable'

He will serve at least half of his sentence for violent disorder in a young offenders institution.

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC told the student the public had a right to protection from violence.

"It is deeply regrettable, indeed a shocking thing, for a court to have sentence a young man such as you to a substantial term of custody," the judge said.

"But the courts have a duty to provide the community with such protection from violence as they can and this means sending out a very clear message to anyone minded to behave in this way that an offence of this seriousness will not be tolerated."

He added: "It is my judgment, exceedingly fortunate that your action did not result in death or very serious injury either to a police officer or a fellow protester."

The judge praised Wollard's mother saying he was taking into account her "extraordinary and courageous conduct" in persuading him to give himself up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12159581