Bristol rioter beat police officer with skateboard before saying 'I know you're human'

• Watch Robert Murphy's report here

A rioter who told police officer "I know you're a human being" after hitting him with a skateboard during a riot in Bristol has been jailed for five and a half years.

Mariella Gedge-Rogers threw missiles and used her skateboard as a weapon during disorder at Bridewell Police Station following a Kill The Bill protest in March 2021.

The 27-year-old, from Clifton, admitted violent disorder but denied riot. She was convicted by a jury following a trial.

The judge, who described Gedge-Rogers as an “active and persistent offender”, jailed her for five and a half years during a hearing at Bristol Crown Court today (March 10).

He said he had taken into account her post-traumatic stress disorder when deciding upon a punishment.

She will serve half of her jail sentence if she is well-behaved in prison.

‘You’ve just hit me with a skateboard’

Gedge-Rogers was convicted on February 11 of being part of a group which "used or threatened violence" and "caused others to fear for their personal safety".

The 27-year-old was arrested six days after the riot took place outside Bridewell Police Station on Sunday 21 March last year.

During the trial, digital evidence including footage from officers’ body worn cameras, CCTV and mobile phone footage was played to the jury.

The footage showed Gedge-Rogers hitting an officer on the head with a skateboard and throwing "missiles" at other officers from the roof of the police station.

• 'You've just hit me with a skateboard' - bodycam footage from riot

She was also seen to repeatedly strike the front window of the station with a skateboard.

At one point, she tells an officer "I know you're a human being". 

When he replied saying "you've just hit me with a skateboard though", she was filmed saying "I did do that, yes".

Gedge-Rogers is the 15th person to be sentenced in connection with the riot.