Watch: Woman who spat at police during ‘Kill the Bill’ riot in Bristol jailed for nearly six years

A 25-year-old woman has been jailed after footage showed her spitting at police and ramming them with a shield during the ‘Kill the Bill’ riot in Bristol city centre.

Francesca Horn, of Montpelier, was handed a prison sentence of five years and 10 months after being found guilty of riot at Bristol Crown Court.

She is the 18th person to have been jailed as part of a major investgation into the riot, which broke out outside Bridewell Police Station on March 21 last year.

The group have received a combined prison sentence of 71 years and three months.

Footage gathered by the investigation team shows Horn striking officers with wooden sticks, kicking out and spitting at officers, and taking hold of a police shield and using it to ram them.

In the video, she’s also seen ripping off the wing mirror of a police van.

‘Clearly you delighted in what you were doing’

Judge Patrick said her offending had a “devastating effect” and told her she was “clearly delighting in what you were doing”.

He added: “You spat at officers during a pandemic. You attacked police lines, kicking officers and rocked a police van. You used a number of weapons and you tore a wing mirror off a van and you threw two shields at officers.”

Senior Investigating Officer Supt James Riccio said: “The prison sentence given by the court today reflects the gratuitous and corrosive offending Horn carried out on that night.

“She spat at officers, with one of them describing at the trial how she’d never been spat at before, and given the COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing, it left her feeling worried and upset. This is wholly unacceptable behaviour.

“A total of 18 people have now been jailed as part of our investigation, receiving a combined prison sentence of 71 years and three months.”

A 25-year-old woman has been given a prison sentence of five years and 10 months after being convicted of riot.