Lancashire Taxi Driver Jailed for Sparking Southport Riots

A Lancashire taxi driver has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years after inciting violent disorder in Southport through social media. Andrew McIntyre, 39, admitted to encouraging riots last summer via a Telegram channel he created, which called on "English lads" to "rise up" following the stabbing of three girls at a dance class.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that McIntyre's "Southport Wake Up" channel became a key trigger for the violence, with Judge Neil Flewitt KC describing him as "motivated by racial hatred" and a "prominent" figure in the unrest. "Your actions encouraged many to plan and commit offences of violent disorder and criminal damage," the judge said.

McIntyre, from Rufford near Ormskirk, pleaded guilty to charges of encouraging violent disorder, criminal damage, and possession of a knife. Prosecutor Arthur Gibson noted that the campaign group Hope Not Hate identified McIntyre's posts as a "catalyst" for the riots. McIntyre had shared content from far-right groups like "Tommy Robinson / Britain First / For Britain" and promoted a protest in Southport on July 30, including a map pinpointing a mosque's location.

Hours before violence erupted, McIntyre posted a warning to police: "Stand in our way, even if you're just doing your job ... prepare to fall." His phone data placed him near the protest site on St Luke's Road at 7pm on the day of the riots. He was arrested on August 8 in Liverpool, with a knife found in his car and additional weapons and a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf recovered from his home.

Defending, Julian Nutter described McIntyre as "a man of previous good character." The riots followed a series of stabbings in Southport, for which Axel Rudakubana, 18, faces charges of three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

E&K Solicitors