// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Man jailed for throwing bottle at migrant protest
Del Somerville was described as a "thug" by the judge
A father-of-two has become the first man jailed following an anti-migrant protest in Portsmouth after admitting throwing a plastic bottle and swearing at police.
Del Somerville, 42, was given a two-year sentence after previously pleading guilty to violent disorder at the city's crown court following the overnight protest near Eastney Marina on 6 September.
Hundreds of protesters gathered after a boat carrying about 120 migrants was brought ashore near Eastney Beach.
He pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of assaulting a police officer, relating to an incident on 11 September, and will face trial at Portsmouth Magistrates Court at a later date.
Protesters gathered near police lines at Eastney Beach in Portsmouth on 6 September
Judge Daniel Sawyer told Somerville that his sentence would act as a deterrent to others following subsequent protests in the area.
Describing him as a "thug", he told the defendant: "Police officers dedicate their lives to the protection of the public regardless of their own views, the very least they can expect is that those who engage in protests treat them with respect and the courts punish those who assault them."
The court heard Sommerville, from Portsmouth, was among a large group of demonstrators protesting at the arrival of the migrants.
They were brought ashore by the RNLI after being picked up in the Channel. A number of volunteer lifeboat crew members were subject to online abuse following the incident.