A Southport man sent to prison for his role in the civil disorder outside Southport Mosque has been released just eight months into his three year sentence.
Drummond was among a group walking towards the mosque on St Luke’s Road the day after the Hart Street attack. As the group was challenged by officers, he punched an officer to the face and was later seen dismantling a wall and throwing bricks towards officers.
In August, the court heard that Drummond had 14 previous convictions for 19 offences from 1988, which prosecutors said show a “history of violence”.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “Victims must feel safe, which is why anyone released into Home Detention Curfew must pass a risk assessment, face strict rules, and wear a tag. Those who break the rules face being returned to prison.”
Home Detention Curfew (HDC) is a scheme in the UK that allows some prisoners to be released from prison earlier than their full sentence, but under strict conditions. The person must stay at a fixed address during specific hours, monitored by an electronic tag.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul White said at the time of his sentencing: “Drummond took to the streets of a town still reeling from the devastating news that three young children had been killed at a dance class.
“He engaged in destructive and threatening behaviour that inflicted fear and destruction on an area grieving and in shock.
“We deployed police officers to the area to protect the public. They showed immense courage in the face of terrible aggression, and Drummond chose to assault them.
“These were officers whose colleagues had just a day earlier faced unspeakably tragic scenes on Hart Street as they tended to victims and detained a man later charged with murdering three children.
“Drummond’s disgusting behaviour that day has got him exactly where he belongs – in a prison cell.
“He has deprived himself of his liberty and left his family counting the cost of his actions.”