A rioter who said he was a “fool” for getting involved in disorder at a mosque and punching a police officer has been jailed for three years.

Derek Drummond, 58, of Pool Street, Southport, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, after pleading guilty to violent disorder charges and assaulting an emergency worker.

Drummond was among a group of around 300 people who marched towards a mosque in the Merseyside town on July 30, chanting “this is our f—ing country”, a court had previously heard.

The 58-year-old haulier also screamed “sh–houses” at police as they tried to put on their protective gear during a riot. He then attacked a male officer who was attempting to protect colleagues, punching him in the face.

‘Ashamed of the way I acted’

Following a public appeal, Drummond handed himself into police and said he was “a fool”.

He said he attended the Southport vigil before getting caught up in riots and “letting his family down’,” MailOnline reported.

Drummond accepted his behaviour was “appalling” but could not give any explanation, telling detectives: “I’m absolutely ashamed of the way I acted. I’ve let Southport down, I’ve let the kids down. I’ve let my family down and I’m not here to deny anything”.

On Wednesday, courts across the country heard pleas from those accused of participation in riots which broke out following a fatal knife attack on three girls in Southport last Monday.

In Birmingham a 46-year-old man seen carrying a wooden stick on Sky News at a counter-protest on Monday pleaded not guilty to possessing it as an offensive weapon.

Shehraz Sarwar claimed he had a “reasonable excuse” to carry the item as a religious staff.

Mr Sarwar claims to have carried the stick locally for more than 11 years and to be a “well-known character” in the Saltley and Alum Rock areas.

Mr Sarwar, who is not accused of any involvement in violent disorder, said “I never done nothing, judge” and “give me a chance” as he was remanded in custody.

Rioter who set fire to police van jailed

Accused rioters are swiftly being processed through the court system at a swift pace after the prime minister insisted on Tuesday they would “feel the full force of the law.”

Police are using social media footage and CCTV video to track down alleged participants, a significant portion of which appears to have been broadcast by those charged with offences.

Two other rioters who took part in the violent rallies in Liverpool on Saturday were jailed at Liverpool Crown Court today after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Declan Geiran, 29, set fire to a seatbelt in a police van while the vehicle was parked in the city centre.

Footage uploaded to TikTok showed Geiran at the open window on the driver’s side as he set the vehicle alight, the court heard. He was swiftly tracked on CCTV footage and arrested a short time later.

Geiran, who has 13 previous convictions, was handed a two-and-a-half year sentence.

Brendan Carville, defending, told the court that his client had emotionally unstable personality disorder and was “not a clever man”.

He added: “He doesn’t understand what far right and far left means. He simply went along with the flow.”

Liam Riley, 41, from Kirkdale, received 20 months after admitting to violent disorder and a racially aggravated public order offence.

Riley was ordered to move back by police, who were being pelted with missiles and rocks by an “aggressive, chanting” group of about 100 people.

The 41-year-old, whom the prosecution described as “clearly drunk”, stood his ground while others retreated, shouting and waving his arms around.

He was arrested after he verbally abused one officer as he called him a “traitor” and a “Muslim lover”.

Mr Carville said Riley had no previous convictions and described him as a “loner”. He said Riley went to a number of pubs and then “stupidly became involved” with disorder. He added: “In many respects, he is a very foolish man.”

Jonathan Egan, senior district crown prosecutor, said: “The three men sentenced today are the tip of the iceberg, and just the start of what will be a very painful process for many who foolishly chose to involve themselves in violent unrest.

“Many of those involved will be sent to prison for a long time.”

At Manchester Magistrates’ Court Aaron Johnson, 32, pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred by using racist language on a live-stream he broadcast to “millions of people” from outside a hotel which was thought to contain asylum seekers.

Prosecutor Laura Peers told the court: “Members of staff became aware of the defendant live streaming from his mobile phone onto YouTube.”

Ms Peers said Johnson was aggressive to hotel staff, and told them “he would smash their face in”.

Four more men appeared in the same court accused of violent disorder, including Liam Ryan, 28, who cried as he pleaded guilty to the charge.

Ms Peers social media footage showed “a black male being confronted by a large group of white males”, adding that Ryan had “played an active role in the disorder” and could be seen “aiming a punch towards the male involved”.

Jake Turton, 38, was refused bail when he appeared at Sheffield Magistrates Court after he was charged in connection with rioting in Rotherham.

As he left the dock, one of his supporters in court shouted “keep it up” and Turton replied “See you in a bit, lads”, with a thumbs-up sign.

Two people have been arrested and three of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna were cancelled after police said they had disrupted an Islamist plot to attack the venue she was set to play at.

Many people in the small community of Ternitz had to be evacuated as one of the suspects, aged 19, was arrested. The other suspect was detained in Vienna.

Reports said local authorities acted after receiving a tip off from another country’s intelligence services. The teenager is said to have recently sworn allegiance to the Islamic State.

“With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” Barracuda Music, an event organiser in the city, posted on Instagram on Wednesday evening.

Swift was scheduled to perform in front of 60,000 fans at the Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the international leg of The Eras Tour.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital, police said the two men were sympathisers of the Islamic State.

“The two suspects became radicalised by the internet, a 19-year-old citizen of Lower Austria made an oath of allegiance to the current leader of IS at the beginning of July,” police said, according to the Associated Press.

It is DEL the ED said the teenager was an Austrian citizen of North Macedonian descent.

Officials said the two suspects had undertaken “concrete preparatory measures” for a terrorist attack after police suspected explosives were stored at the home of the suspect in Ternitz.

Police also said that chemical substances were secured at the home of the teenager and were being evaluated.

“From the current standpoint of the investigation we assume that the target of the attack were events in the Vienna region,” police added.

In the US, officials who had been briefed on events said the authorities in Austria were looking for an additional individual or individuals who may have some knowledge of this planned attack.

Reports suggested the plot was stopped and the teenager arrested after a tip-off from foreign security authorities.

Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s interior ministry, said that authorities were aware of “preparatory actions” for a possible attack “and also that there is a focus by the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna,” the Austria Press Agency reported.

News that the concert could have been a target for terror sparked outrage among leaders in Austria.

“It is incredibly sad and bitter that the concerts had to be canceled. We must not let ourselves be intimidated by madmen,” Christoph Wiederkehr, the deputy Mayor of Vienna wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer also wrote on social media, saying “the situation was very serious”.

“Thanks to the intense cooperation…the threat was recognised early and a tragedy was averted. Islamist terrorism threatens our security and freedom in many Western countries.”

Meanwhile the news sparked a flood of disappointment from fans of the star.

One fan, Chiara, 19, who is from Vienna, told local media: “It’s so sad that they’re trying to use the concert for their agenda. Taylor Swift and the community stand for love, friendship, and support.”

Another fan, Hanna, 30, also from Vienna, added: “I want the money back, I want to see Taylor. I’ve been looking forward to this for a year. Why do people have to ruin something so innocent?”

The cancelation of the concerts, part of a global phenomenon that has seen the 34-year-old American star pack stadiums around the world, came hours after authorities said security measures for the Swift concerts would be stepped up. Mr Ruf said that there would be a special focus among other things on entry checks and concertgoers should plan a bit more time. 

Children were “left in tears” when a science show for youngsters was stormed by pro-Palestinian protesters.

The Science Museum: The Live Stage Show performance at the New Wimbledon Theatre, in south-west London, was disrupted on Tuesday when protesters unfurled a banner from the dress circle as others got on the stage, holding hands with some children while chanting and waving scarves.

Parents said children in the audience, including an autistic girl, were “really upset” and “crying their eyes out” after the demonstration, orchestrated by Parents for Palestine.

The protesters said they were asking the Science Museum “to drop its sponsorship deal with Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of the Adani Group”. They said the Adani Group “manufactures drones and snipers with Israeli arms companies”.

One parent in attendance, named Rose, told MailOnline: “We’re sitting there getting ready for the show and then there’s this lady with a mask over her face and then she starts chanting.

“And then after that, I see a big banner drop from the top of the theatre and then from that everything is just disrupted.

“There are parents with their children next to me and their kids are crying their eyes out because it’s quite scary. Security has come along and ushered some people out, but then some other people have got up on the stage to make sure their voices are getting heard.”

The event was supposed to begin at 4.30pm and the demonstration, at around 4.25pm, led to a half-hour delay as the protesters were ushered out of the theatre by security.

A spokesman for Parents for Palestine told The Telegraph: “This was a brief and peaceful protest, carried out by parents, carers and their children, asking the Science Museum to drop its sponsorship deal with Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of the Adani Group.

“The Adani Group manufactures drones and snipers with Israeli arms companies, which have been used to murder over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including over 15,000 children. We love the Science Museum and simply want our children to be able to enjoy it in good conscience.”

A Science Museum spokesman said: ‘This engaging family show aims to ignite the curiosity of children through the wonders of science, and it’s a shame for the families who attended that protesters disrupted this performance at the New Wimbledon Theatre.’

Adani Group has been approached for comment.

A secretive government agency used to “spy on” anti-lockdown campaigners during the Covid pandemic has been deployed to monitor social media amid the riots, The Telegraph has learnt.

The Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU), now rebranded as the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT), has been given the task just months after MPs called for an independent review of its activities.

Campaigners have expressed concern that NSOIT is playing a central role in the riots response despite outstanding questions over whether it is fit for purpose.

Peter Kyle, the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, has asked NSOIT to monitor online activity discussing the deaths of the three children killed in Southport and the rioting, after widespread public disorder followed untrue claims about the suspect on social media.

The unit has “trusted flagger status”, which effectively gives it privileged access to social media moderators who make decisions on whether posts should be taken down, it is understood.

The CDU was set up in March 2020 to combat what Boris Johnson’s government described as “false coronavirus information online” but, as The Telegraph later revealed, was also used to crack down on dissent from those who disagreed with official policy.

Among those who were monitored by the unit were Carl Heneghan, the epidemiologist who opposed blanket lockdowns, Molly Kingsley, who campaigned to keep schools open during the pandemic, and David Davis, the Conservative MP who called for the CDU to be shut down.

Big Brother Watch, the civil liberties group, described the CDU as “one of the most opaque units in Government outside the security services” and accused it of “spying on” free speech.

Silkie Carlo, its director, has now questioned whether it, rather than another agency, should be used in the response to the riots.

She told The Telegraph: “There are serious questions as to whether NSOIT is fit for this task, given its chilling track record of monitoring the lawful and accurate speech of journalists, scientists, parliamentarians, human rights advocates and members of the public during the pandemic when they rightly questioned the government’s pandemic management.

“It’s worrying to see NSOIT brought into action shortly after its controversial activities were exposed, and before it has been subject to the important independent review the culture committee called for.”

Ms Carlo described NSOIT as “a deceptively-named shadowy Whitehall cell, which operates far beyond national security” and said that if the Government were to stray into censoring lawful free speech it could “inflame tensions and distrust rather than promote social harmony”.

A report by the Commons culture, media and sport committee, published in April, questioned “the lack of transparency and accountability of [NSOIT] and the appropriateness of its reach”, and recommended that the Government commission an independent review of “the activities and strategy” of the unit to report back within 12 months.

However, Mr Davis said he had no real objection to NSOIT being used to monitor social media during the riots because “it’s perfectly legitimate for the state to monitor things that might incite violence”.

The Government is urging internet giants to remove misleading content from the far Right more quickly, amid fears that it is fuelling the violence seen in the last week.

Mr Kyle held one-on-one talks with executives from five social media companies – X, YouTube, Meta, Google and TikTok – on Monday. Afterwards, he released a statement warning about the “spread of hateful misinformation and incitement” on the riots and insisting action must be taken “at pace”.

The remit was then said to have widened to include posts being made about the riots more widely as they began to spread across towns and cities in the last week.

A division of labour is understood broadly to have emerged. Home Office figures are flagging up online content that could break the law, such as incitement of violence. Officials in NSOIT are focusing on material that could breach social media companies’ rules, but fall short of criminal activity.

It is unclear exactly where the unit is drawing the line when it comes to disinformation, an area likely to be scrutinised in the days and weeks ahead if the violence continues.

Social media executives have been telling the Government that they are willing to act on material that breaches their terms of service.

That is a key part of the Online Safety Act, which was passed last year but will not be implemented until next year when Ofcom, the media regulator, finishes its consultation on how it should be made to work.

A government spokesman said: “We have been abundantly clear – what is illegal offline is illegal online, and it’s right that any thugs stoking violence on the streets meet the full force of the law.

“We make no apology for monitoring publicly available content that threatens public safety. The information is flagged up to social media firms when it is likely to have breached their terms of service, and the police when it meets a criminal threshold.

“That obviously requires monitoring within the rules of privacy and human rights laws: which is exactly what teams across the Government are doing.”

A government source added that the unit monitors trends, rather than individuals.

Sir Mark Rowley has hit back at claims of “two-tier” policing of the riots sweeping the UK, describing them as “absolute nonsense”.

The Metropolitan Police commissioner said the suggestion that some groups were being treated more harshly than others was putting his officers in danger as they policed the violence that has erupted in the wake of the Southport killings.

It comes after Sir Mark was caught on camera grabbing a reporter’s microphone following a question about two-tier policing.

The Government has insisted there is no “two-tier” system – whereby far-Right groups are supposedly dealt with more harshly than protesters on the Left – in Britain.

But some have continued to question the policing of the riots, with Robert Jenrick, the Tory leadership contender, accusing Sir Keir Starmer of not being “as clear as he could be” that some of the disorder on Britain’s streets emanated from “sectarian gangs”.

On Wednesday, responding to allegations that far-Right riots have been dealt with more severely than other recent unrest, Sir Mark told broadcasters: “It’s complete nonsense.

“We have commentators from either end of the political spectrum who like to throw accusations of bias at the police because we stand in the middle, we operate independently under the law without fear or favour.

“And if you’ve got crazy views over there, you don’t like it, and if you’ve got crazy views over there, you don’t like it. We will continue to do that.

“The serious voices who echo those are of more concern to me, because the risk is they legitimise it, and they legitimise the violence that the officers I’m sending on mutual aid today will face on the streets. 

“They are putting them at risk by suggesting that any of those officers are going out with any intent other than to operate without fear or favour in protecting communities.”

On Monday, Sir Mark grabbed a journalist’s microphone and threw part of it to the ground before walking towards a waiting car on Whitehall when asked about the issue.

In a statement, a Scotland Yard spokesman rejected suggestions that he had been upset by the question or anything that had happened at the Government meeting. Sir Mark apologised for knocking the microphone to the floor, saying that was “never my intention”.

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, has caused a stir by describing the Prime Minister “two-tier Keir” in response to a Muslim gathering in Birmingham.

On Tuesday, Sir Paul Stephenson, a former Met Police chief, called for the “full force” of the law to be applied equally to all those involved in violence.

Asked about Mr Musk’s intervention, Jim McMahon, the communities minister, told Times Radio: “I certainly understand where the narrative comes from, because what he’s trying to do is to present a case that we treat different communities in a different way and somehow we give special treatment. That is not the case.”

Mr McMahon said his understanding of the Birmingham incident was that police had made a tactical decision to “withdraw and regroup”, but that any potential criminal activity is expected to be followed up.

He added: “Let’s not preempt the ultimate outcome of it, but the message needs to be clear – it doesn’t matter what your background, if you take part in criminal damage, if you take part in violence, if you seek to disrupt communities and affect people’s way of life in an unlawful way, then you can expect to have [that] dealt with by the police.

“The point is it is operational decisions – that is for the police on the ground to make those calls and to make those judgments – but I also want to be clear that people should not believe that because their arrest wasn’t taking place on the day that that somehow means that justice will not catch up with people.”

In a separate interview on Wednesday, Sir Thomas Winsor, a former chief inspector of constabulary, said two-tier policing “doesn’t exist”. He urged Mr Musk to “stick to batteries, cars and rockets” and leave the British authorities to do their job.

Asked whether he saw evidence of a two-tier system during his time as chief inspector, Sir Thomas told LBC: “No. It doesn’t exist – policing is even-handed.

“If people are committing offences, and individual cases have to be dealt with on their individual merits, then they’ll be stopped and they may be charged and prosecuted.”

He argued there is a “fundamental difference” between “being very noisy” on a pro-Palestinian march and the violent disorder now blighting Britain’s streets.

“On the two-tier policing point, I remind listeners of the constable’s oath every police officer takes,” he said. “This oath is to police with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, to uphold fundamental rights and accord equal respect to all people according to law, and that’s what they do.

“And when people, politicians and others, talk repeatedly, and these are their talking points, and they know what they’re doing about distrust of the police and two-tier policing, over and over again – that, in itself, increases a perception of unfairness which is not correct.”

Sir Thomas also said there should be “criminal liability” for senior managers at social media companies that tolerate “harmful material” and the incitement of crimes on their websites.