A man who was hit in the groin with a brick during the Southport riots was arrested after police recognised him from the unfortunate viral video.
Brian Spencer was filmed gyrating his hips and taunting lines of riot police as they were pelted with stones and bricks.
He had drunk ten pints and a litre of rum beforehand, according to The Mirror. A judge had previously described his dance moves as his “best Mick Jagger impression”.
The 40-year-old was then hit by a wayward missile in the head and seconds later took a brick to the crotch, causing him to keel over in pain.
The painter and decorator was also caught on footage from the same day punching a police vehicle several times and picking up and throwing wheelie bins at officers.
That evening, officers were called to a separate incident where Spencer was in attendance and took him to Southport hospital for treatment for the head injury he had sustained during the disorder.
The officers recognised the father-of-four from the viral social media footage and he was arrested.
Spencer was filmed gyrating his hips and taunting police lines as they were pelted with stones and bricks – Merseyside Police/PA
On Monday, Spencer of Lytham Road in Southport, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and was jailed for two years and six months after admitting violent disorder on July 30.
He was also jailed after admitting racially aggravated harassment after abusing a Polish-speaking patient when receiving treatment for the injuries he sustained during the disorder.
Jailing him, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said Spencer hurled wheelie-bins at police cars and was caught on camera “cheering”, “bouncing around” and “enjoying the chaos”.
She said: “You were an enthusiastic and active participant, positioning yourself at the front of the mob.
“At times bouncing around, encouraging others and clearly enjoying the chaos and harm that you and other like-minded thugs were creating.
“The reason why you were struck is because you were at the front of the mob. The mobile footage of you being struck has been widely spread.”
Spencer acted like a “general” in the mass disorder outside a mosque in Southport, the court heard, hours after a vigil had been held to mourn those killed and injured a day earlier.
Lancashire Live reported footage was played in court of bare-chested Spencer hurling a wheelie-bin at a reversing police car and holding another bin above his head.
Shortly after the incident and before he was jailed, one Southport local told the MailOnline: “People are saying the protesters were outsiders who came here to cause trouble – but Brian came from just up the road.
“Everyone knows Brian. He’s a bit of a party animal and I think he just got excited last night. His head will be hurting this morning.”
Detective Inspector Paula Jones of Merseyside Police said: “The actions of the people who took part in the disorder was extremely serious and many officers were injured during the despicable scenes as bricks, bins and other missiles were thrown at them.
“Spencer was involved in the violence and will now spend a significant amount of time in prison.
“We continue to review footage and information as it comes in, and we will not stop until we’ve put everyone we possibly can before the courts.”
The total number of people arrested by Merseyside Police has now reached 163, with 117 charged and 88 sentenced to 182 years and four months.
Violence broke out across the country after three girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport.
Hours after the incident, rioters took to the streets after rumours that the killer was an asylum seeker spread online.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
He is also charged with producing the toxin ricin and possessing an al-Qaeda terrorism manual.