Greater Manchester electrician working 150 miles away got involved in riots - now he's in jail

An electrician from Greater Manchester working 150 miles away from home got involved in a riot - and is now in jail. Declan Dixon, 22, was said to have been 'curious' before he joined a mob in Hartlepool.

Dixon, from Wigan, was seen on video footage picking up a missile and throwing it at police in riot gear on the night of July 31 after a protest grew violent. He's now been jailed for 18 months.

When he was arrested 11 days later, sitting in a BMW, he was found to be in possession of a small amount of cocaine, Teesside Crown Court heard.

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Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said Dixon was working on Teesside at the time and he told police he was present that night 'out of curiosity'. He admitted violent disorder and possessing cocaine as Judge Francis Laird KC jailed him for 18 months, reports Teeside Live.

The judge told him: "Your behaviour, and the behaviour of others around you, was disgraceful."

Gary Wood, defending, said Dixon, of Salisbury Avenue in Hindley, Wigan, was immature, had no previous convictions and had now lost his £1,600-a-month apprenticeship. The judge accepted the defendant came from a 'loving family'.

He added: "It is very difficult to understand how you came to be involved with a violent mob."

Hundreds of people have so far been charged in the UK following the widespread disorder after the deaths of three girls in Southport.

In a statement on Wednesday, Cleveland Police said: "Declan Dixon, aged 22, from Wigan, was identified as being involved in throwing missiles at officers on Lothian Road on Wednesday 31 July. He has been sentenced to 18-months today at Teesside Crown Court."