- Ellie Clarke, 21, of Southport, hurled abuse and pushed an officer on July 30
- She was part of a mob that gathered a day after tragic stabbings of three girls
- Nursery worker Clarke said she had been ‘very distressed’ by the incident
A nursery worker broke down in tears and cried ‘adrenaline got the better of me’ after pleading guilty to hurling racial abuse and attacking a police officer during a violent riot in Southport.
Ellie Clarke, 21, of Southport, had made her way to the front of a baying mob that gathered in the Merseyside town on July 30, a day after the fatal stabbings of three young girls.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, died in the attack, which was falsely blamed on an Islamist migrant in the immediate aftermath.
Liverpool Crown Court heard crowds gathered in the area around St Luke’s Road in the town, close to the Southport Islamic Society Mosque.
Rioters were caught on video and CCTV hurling missiles at police officers trying to protect the building, as well as chanting ‘this is our f***ing country’, ‘s***houses’, ‘scumbag b*****ds’ and ‘who the f*** is Allah?’.
Ellie Clarke, 21, of Southport, broke down in tears and cried ‘adrenaline got the better of me’ after pleading guilty to hurling racial abuse and attacking a police officer during a violent riot
Clarke is said to have shouted at the officers, ‘if it was your f***ing daughter who was stabbed dead by a f***ing p**i’ and began forcefully pushing against an officer holding a riot shield
More than 50 PCs were said to have been injured during the affray, while nearby residential properties also endured damage.
Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, said Clarke had been seen near the front of the protesters, at around 8.45pm.
She is said to have shouted at the officers, ‘if it was your f***ing daughter who was stabbed dead by a f***ing p**i’ and began forcefully pushing against an officer holding a riot shield.
Bodycam footage of the incident was played in the court, which heard that she was attested on September 2 in an ‘agreed meeting’ after her image was circulated as one of the hundreds of riot suspects wanted by police.
In a prepared statement, Clarke apologised for her behaviour and said: ‘I heard about the stabbings in Southport and was very distressed, particularly given the fact that I used to work in a nursery.’
She added: ‘The adrenaline got the better of me and I used language I am ashamed of.’
Clarke, who has no previous convictions, last week pleaded guilty to violent disorder, racially aggravated harassment and assaulting an emergency services worker at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.
She had been due to receive her sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, but the case was adjourned for a psychiatric report.
More than 50 PCs were said to have been injured during the affray, while nearby residential properties also endured damage
Her counsel, Daniel Travers, revealed Clarke had suffered from mental health issues.
Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC warned: ‘If I was dealing with the defendant today, there would be a custodial sentence’ and said that could still be an option depending on the outcome of the report.
Clarke is now due to be sentenced on October 22.
Hundreds of people have now been through the court system for riot-related offences, after clashing with police and attacking hotels housing asylum seekers, among other actions, following riots sparked by the Southport stabbings.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, born in Cardiff to Christian parents, has been charged with three counts of murder, as well multiple charges of attempted murder.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, riots spread across the country in unrest not seen in Britain since 2011, when the fatal shooting of a black man by police triggered several days of street violence.
Police and prosecutors have responded rapidly, with roughly 1,300 people having been arrested and around 200 jailed – one for as long as six years for violent disorder.
Others have been charged for inciting racial or religious hatred online.