Operation Hailstone Summary

On the 25th of October I attended Canterbury crown court. The proceeding I observed was a sentencing and named ‘Operation Hailstone’. I will firstly make an overall summary of what happened and then reflect and analyse on my experience by highlighting what surprised me, what didn’t, what I learnt and what the whole experience has done for me.
Once I had been through security and was seated in my chosen court room the judge walked in and the judges clerk announced the charge on Anthony Baker, being violent disorder, she then went on to say the defendant had pleaded guilty. The prosecution representative gave a summary of the case. Anthony had been attending a right wing march in January at Dover earlier this year and had been seen on CCTV throwing objects, carrying out the Nazi salute and attacking someone with an England flag. A total …show more content…
The London riots was publicised by the media and therefore became a topic of conversation and public worry, this led to harsh sentences being given to those involved (Bloom, 2012). The hailstone operation has also had a lot of media coverage. Detective constable Kirsty Bricknell stated in an interview with Kent live that Anthony was one of over 80 people who were arrested that day and most of them, like him, are now in jail (Kent live news, 2016). I feel, like the London riots, this played a part in why the defendant received a 30 month prison sentence. With such public awareness around the Dover marches, the police and court prosecutions were ensuring everyone involved had to feel the consequences. Much like the London riot outcomes, some of the rulings could be perceived as harsh. I did however think the judge was very professional, the points he made before he gave out the sentence were very well thought and accurate. I also felt it right that the defendant was punished for avoiding his court hearing, as he should have followed the correct procedures for exceptional