A man who was jailed following rioting in Nottingham last year is planning to challenge his conviction in the European Court of Human Rights.
Perry Atherton’s mother said her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time
If the case goes ahead it could set a precedent for other cases that followed last summer’s riots.
Perry Atherton, 22, was jailed for three years in May for violent disorder, after events on 9 August.
His barrister, Usha Sood, said the conviction breached his human rights as he had been there for innocent reasons.
During his trial, Atherton said he only ran from police because others had been chased towards him.
However, the prosecution was successful in proving the defendant was part of a group that was being violent, or frightening people.
‘No criminal record’
“[But] it is very likely this case will be taken to the European Court as a test case, to ask if the correct levels of proof were applied and if people should be guilty by association,” Ms Sood said.
“There are a number of people whose convictions are dubious because they have really good explanations for being there.”
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