Teen in 'paramilitary' gear jailed for 'serious violence' at Northampton protest after delivering 'ferocious' kick

Amjad Ali, 19, has been sentenced to 26 months in prison after pleading guilty being part of a violent brawl during a protest in Northampton.

Hundreds of counter-protesters had gathered peacefully around 7pm at the junction of Kettering Road and Clare Street in Northampton town centre that evening to unite against planned far-right protests.

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking condemned the incident as “serious violence” and labelled Ali and his group’s appearance as "paramilitary".

CCTV footage shown in Northampton Crown Court today (Monday) captured the moment on August 7 when Ali, dressed in black and wearing a balaclava, was caught up in a chaotic brawl. The footage showed an unknown man throwing a can of beer across the road at 7.26pm, triggering Ali’s violent reaction. The brawl that followed between the two opposing groups, both believed to be counter-protesters, lasted about one to two minutes before police quickly intervened to restore order.

Ali’s attack was particularly brutal—police reports revealed he punched one man in the face multiple times and delivered a “ferocious” kick to another man who was already on the ground. Ali denies the kick. Despite the severity of the assault, the man who was allegedly kicked did not provide a statement to police.

Prosecutor Damian Warburton highlighted the fear and distress that gripped drivers as the brawl erupted in the middle of the busy road.

The judge emphasised that the political affiliations of the groups involved were irrelevant, stating that it made no difference which side the groups were on. The focus, the judge insisted, was solely on the violence that took place.

This isn’t Ali’s first brush with the law. In January this year, he received a two-year suspended sentence after being caught with a Lucozade bottle filled with ammonia, along with being in possession of cocaine and heroin.

In his defence, Ali’s lawyer, Liam Muir, painted a picture of a young man who has endured significant trauma. Muir explained that Ali lost his brother to complications associated with COVID-19 in 2021 and watched his father die from a heart attack in 2022, which led him to self-medicate with cannabis and fall in with a crowd of ‘sophisticated criminals’. Muir stressed that while Ali’s actions were inexcusable at the protest, they were the result of a "moment of madness," and that Ali is deeply remorseful.

Ali was sentenced to 12 months in prison for breaching his previous suspended sentence and an additional 14 months for the affray. The sentences will run consecutively, totalling 26 months. However, he will serve 13 months in prison, with the remainder of his sentence to be served on license in the community.

It’s an astonishingly rapid progression through a court system that in normal times has been beset by years-long delays, and it’s a result of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s promise that those involved in rioting gripping the country would be dealt with swiftly as a deterrent to others considering getting involved.