Trainee teacher who hurled barrier at police escapes jail

A trainee teacher who hurled pieces of barrier towards police officers during a Black Lives Matter demonstration at the Downing Street gates was spared jail.

Shayden Spencer, 20, was caught on CCTV throwing parts of the fence during the ‘unruly’ incident on 3 June last year.

Prosecutor Tyrone Silcott said: ‘After the police retreated, not sprinting for their lives but they are clearly moving with some speed.

‘It is clear they are moving because they are concerned about the group who are in the area.

‘There is no doubt police officers would have been in fear and there is no doubt it would have been an extremely unruly and worrying incident.

‘During this incident the defendant is seen clearly to walk towards the waist-height barrier and throw a piece of barrier that had been broken up.

‘He then returns 55 seconds later and does exactly the same thing,’ said the prosecutor.

Police set up checkpoints around the area in order to slow down the crowds on their way out, Southwark Crown Court heard.

‘The defendant was stopped and there is a clip of him being stopped,’ said Mr Silcott.

‘He is perfectly polite and gives his proper name and gives his proper address and at a later date is identified.

‘In his interview he gave full admissions of offence, admitted to being at the time and at the place.

‘He further went on to state in interview his action did not reflect the person that he is.

‘He went to the protest to raise awareness of racial rights in a peaceful manner.

‘He didn’t think the protest would turn violent, he effectively got swept away.

‘He also said that he wanted to start a job as a teacher and that he regretted what he did.’

Dressed smartly in a charcoal suit, Spencer was late to court sentence hearing because he slept through his alarm.

Edward McKiernan, defending, told the court: ‘He has not been sleeping since December, because he thought this matter was going to be dealt with.

‘He did set his clock for seven o’clock this morning to come to court, he slept through that, and woke up in a concern and whisked here.

‘The reason he wasn’t sleeping is concern over these proceedings, there is no excuse.

‘He has attended the previous hearings on time.

‘He apologises to the court.

‘He appreciates this is the worst possible time for him to be late.’

Mr Kiernan said that Spencer has been a victim of bullying throughout his life and ‘difficult’ personal circumstances.

‘He has been in need of support and assistance.

‘Fortunately, there is an adoptive mother who gave him that.

‘She is very distressed by what if going on,’ said Mr Kiernan.

‘He has been adopted by a good woman who reared him.

‘He has let everyone down by his actions but he has tried to remedy the situation.’

The court was told that Spencer had recently started work as a teaching assistant working with children with special educational needs.

‘With his background he is very suited to the sort of work he has got for himself,’ Mr Kiernan added.

‘He has been exactly through all that, so he knows.

‘He has a degree of empathy. He is the sort of person who could be an asset to the community.

‘It is not a moment of madness, he was stupid with a lot of other stupid people.

‘He didn’t advance the BLM cause or movement, and there were the usual idiots waving their cameras around.’

Judge Gregory Perrins said: ‘Having watched the CCTV footage a number of times it is quite clear this was an extremely serious offence of public disorder involving a large mob of people with barriers and missiles being thrown to the police.

‘Although it started as a legitimate demonstration it ended up with violence and aggression that you willingly participated in.’

But Judge Perrins said that taking into account Spencer’s ‘very strong’ personal mitigation he decided to take the ‘unusual’ step to suspend the sentence.

‘There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation bearing in mind everything I have read about you and the fact you are now at work, and very strong personal mitigation in this case.

‘I accept your youth and immaturity played a part, and I also accept you have shown genuine remorse,’ said the judge.

‘I accept this is something that is deeply out of character bearing everything I have been told about you and your chance of offending this was is very low.

‘You are plainly someone who has the potential for a bright future, and I suspect you know how close you came to losing that in just 60 seconds of behaviour.’

Spencer, of Mitcham, southwest London, admitted violent disorder.

He was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered to pay £300 in costs.

The judge also ordered him to do 80 hours unpaid work and a 15-day rehabilitation requirement.