Middlesbrough rioter who pushed a burning bin at police has been jailed

A man who pushed a flaming container at police officers during a riot has been jailed.

Christopher Sharp, 36, admitted violent disorder in Middlesbrough on August 4, where he told others to “move forward” against police.

Cleveland Police said he was in a large group of people at the intersection of Ayresome Street and Linthorpe Road and helped push a large bin, which was then set on fire, into the crowd.

Sharp, of Middlesbrough Road in South Bank, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Teesside Crown Court.