Officers tend to the policewoman injured by Costa A Spanish man has been sentenced to four years in prison after he admitted injuring a policewoman during 12 July riots in Ardoyne last year.
Rodger Jarro Costa, 29, from Barcelona, pleaded guilty to attempting to commit grievous bodily harm last month, just as his trial was about to begin.
Costa, whose address was given as Ulsterville Avenue, south Belfast, had already pleaded guilty to rioting.
The police officer was injured after a concrete block was dropped on her head.
She was one of 48 PSNI officers injured during three nights of violence.
Judge Tom Burgess told Belfast Crown Court that Costa had intentionally armed himself and thrown several pieces of heavy masonry at police with the intention of injuring them.
He said the politics and journalism graduate was lucky not to be facing more serious charges as he could easily have caused fatal injuries to the policewoman.
Costa was originally charged with trying to murder the officer but he pleaded guilty to a charge of riot and of attempting to cause her grievous bodily harm.
Judge Burgess told Costa the Northern Ireland community had welcomed him but that their “welcome has been poorly repaid,” and added that he could not hand down a jail term which would allow the Spaniard to go home in the near future as “he still owes a debt to our society”.
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