By Man jailed for urinating on PC Keith Palmer memorial
A man has been jailed for urinating on a memorial dedicated to PC Keith Palmer.
Andrew Banks, 28, of Stansted, Essex, was photographed during Saturday’s right-wing protests in London.
He was sentenced to 14 days in custody, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
The man was photographed urinating next to the memorial dedicated to PC Keith Palmer, the officer who was stabbed to death in the 2017 terror attack in Westminster.
Keith Palmer, 48, was unarmed and stabbed while on duty during the Westminster terror attack on 22 March 2017.
He was one of five people murdered by Khalid Masood.
The image was circulated widely on social media on Saturday following violent clashes between far-right protesters and police in London.
Banks, a Tottenham Hotspur fan, said he had travelled to central London with other football supporters to “protect statues”, but admitted he did not know which statues.
He was said to have drunk 16 pints during Friday night into Saturday morning, and had not been to sleep.
Banks contacted police and handed himself in, after being confronted by his father, the court heard.
Jailing Banks, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot told Banks:
“I accept you were drunk and did not know where you were urinating.
“Your explanation is you had 16 pints to drink, you hadn’t been to bed, and a group of football supporters were coming up to protect the monuments.
“The irony is rather than protecting the monuments, you almost urinated on one. That was more by luck than judgment.”
His counsel Stuart Harris said his client was “ashamed by his action”, and had mental health issues.
The Police Memorial Trust said the stone was a reminder of PC Palmer’s sacrifice and heroism.
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