'I’ve done some silly spinning kick': Man jailed after making 'terrible mistake' in front of police

A balaclava clad thug who launched a ‘spinning kick’ as rioters attacked shops has been locked up. Oliver Chapman, 23, has been jailed for 20 months after joining a violent mob, causing chaos in Manchester city centre on a Saturday afternoon.

Police were responding to a demonstration in Piccadilly Gardens when dozens of protestors broke off and began attacking shop fronts on Mosley Street. Manchester Crown Court heard that Chapman was one of a number of people seen kicking windows.

Prosecutors told how officers from GMP’s Tactical Aid unit had been deployed on August 3 to contain the crowd, as ‘pockets of disorder’ started to break out.

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Philip Hall, prosecuting, said that ‘a few hundred people’ including Chapman broke free and ran down Mosley Street. A number of the group entered Sainsbury’s as a ‘melee occurred inside’.

Others made their way down the street and began attacking shop fronts. Chapman, who was wearing a balaclava, was caught on camera kicking the window of a vape shop.

Police at the scene saw what he had done, and arrested him. They made the decision to ‘de-arrest’ him, and a few days later he was held again at his home.

During an interview with police he admitted his wrongdoing, and said: “I’ve done some silly spinning kick.” He said wore the balaclava after being given it by someone else.

Chapman told officers he was ‘sorry for what happened’ and described the way he had acted as ‘silly’. He had got ‘excited’ when others began running, Chapman said. His barrister Emily Calman said Chapman confessed at an early stage.

She said: “He clearly knew he had made a terrible mistake by involving himself