Salford Man Jailed for Throwing Fireworks at Remembrance Sunday Parade

A man who threw fireworks at the Eccles Remembrance Sunday Parade has been jailed.

Stuart Potts, 38, of Borough Road, Salford, admitted charges of using threatening behaviour, contrary to section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986, and throwing a firework in a public place, contrary to section 80 of the Explosives Act 1875, when he appeared before District Judge Mark Hadfield at Manchester Magistrates' Court earlier today.

An offence under section 4 of the 1986 Act has a maximum penalty of 26 weeks' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction. An offence under section 80 of the 1875 Act has a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine on summary conviction.

Beth Pilling, prosecuting, described how Potts appeared at an upstairs window of the disused Albert Edward pub, which overlooks Eccles war memorial, at 11 am yesterday.

Locals were observing two minutes' silence when Potts, who is understood to have been squatting at the premises, climbed onto the window ledge and set off two fireworks in the direction of the crowd.

A crowd of angry veterans gathered outside the pub window shouting "Get him out!" and trying to break the door of the pub down, with others attempting to climb up to the window. Members of the crowd angrily threw traffic cones in Potts' direction.

A lone police officer struggled to hold the crowd back until further officers arrived on the scene.

The court was read a statement by a Royal Marines veteran attending the event, who said the bangs of the fireworks reminded him of combat and affected his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Abigail Henry, mitigating, said Potts had shown "sincere and genuine remorse for his actions".

Potts claimed he was given the fireworks by someone else and lit them "as a mark of respect" to emulate the volley of shots fired at some Remembrance Day events.

Judge Hadfield viewed matters rather differently, saying: "I rather doubt that anybody in their right mind would think letting them off in the middle of that ceremony was a mark of respect.

"It shows a staggering lack of respect for those attending and those being remembered."

Dad-of-four Potts, who has 21 previous convictions for 39 offences, was sentenced to 16 weeks in custody.