A man who took part in the damaging of a small police office amid widespread disorder in Sunderland has been jailed after admitting a charge of riot.

Brian Gilby was said to have "stumbled" across the scenes of violence and destruction in the city centre on August 2 while out celebrating a friend's birthday.

But Newcastle Crown Court heard the father-of-three, while not involved in an earlier anti-immigration march in the city, became "drawn into" the wanton vandalism and general disturbance.

He was seen among those prominent in the destruction of a Northumbria Police "hub" in Waterloo Place, using a metal pole to damage fittings and passing "weapons" for others to enable them to join in, while he later helped himself to as many vapes as he could take from a looted shop.

(Image: Northumbria Police)

Michael Bunch, prosecuting said the defendant was also seen hurling a fire extinguisher into the exposed police office as a neighbouring Citizen's Advice Bureau was engulfed in flames, having been set alight.

Gilby, of Hendon Burn Avenue, Sunderland, was initially charged with violent disorder arising from events in the city centre that night.

He admitted the charge at a hearing at the court, on September 9, when he also denied the more serious count of riot.

But when he appeared before the court via video link from Durham Prison today (Tuesday November 5) he changed his plea to "guilty" to the riot charge.

Mr Bunch said the defendant did not indicate an admission to riot at an earlier hearing, having disputed identification evidence.

Nicholas Lane, in mitigation, told the court Gilby had nothing to do with earlier disorder in which police lines were attacked with missiles after an anti-immigration "march" ended.

Mr Lane told the court the defendant was out celebrating a friend's birthday and was "drawn into" the ongoing disorder, "having stumbled across it."

(Image: Northumbria Police) But he said his subsequent arrest and period in custody has seen him missing many milestones in the lives of his young family and he was, "deeply embarrassed and ashamed" by his actions.

Mr Lane said the defendant's actions that night were not directed towards individual police officers, but indirectly towards the police in general.

Judge Tim Gittins told Gilby that he and others involved that night brought, "shame, not just upon yourselves, but on the city of Sunderland."

The judge said he engaged in acts of disorder and damage, at a huge cost to the public purse.

At the most recent count, the cost of the damage and unrest that night to Northumbria Police alone has risen to more than £1.5m, with four officers and several police dogs injured, none seriously, and seven vehicles and the hub office damaged.

Addressing Gilby, Judge Gittins told him: "I accept it had not been planned by you.

"You had no prior engagement with any hostile groups."

The judge said he accepted Gilby had been celebrating the birthday of a friend but got drawn into events in the city centre that night.

"You had been drinking much of the day and joined in at the forefront of attacking and damaging the police hub.

"You were using poles or rods of some kind to repeatedly attack the area of the foyer of that police hub.

"You were, on the face of it, seeking to offer those weapons to others.

"The irony is you then brought forward a fire extinguisher to cause further mindless damage to that police hub rather than using it to put out the fire to the property next door."

The judge said the defendant then reversed his t-shirt in a "rather half-hearted" attempt to disguise himself, but was captured on CCTV both inside and outside a vape shop which was damaged then looted.

"You went on to help yourself to as many vape products as your tracksuit bottoms could hold down in each leg.

"There was no legitimate good reason for this abhorrent behaviour."

Judge Gittins said he accepted that the defendant was in drink and probably would not have behaved as he died if he had been sober.

He also acknowledged he only has one previous conviction  for resisting arrest and behaved "out of character" that night.

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Imposing a 40-month prison sentence, he told the defendant it would have been a five-year jail term had he not pleaded guilty.

He said the defendant can expect to serve up to half of the sentence in custody before being released under licence supervision.

A formal not guilty verdict was passed on the charge of violent disorder, previously admitted by Gilby.