A man has been jailed after tagging himself in Facebook photos showing him taking part in a riot. Robert Darragh, 21, from the Shankill area of Belfast, took part in a riot during a clash between nationalists and unionists during the Loyalist marching season in Northern Ireland last year.
29 police officers were injured during the disturbance as they were pelted with bricks, bottles and other missiles. Belfast Crown Court heard that during the disturbance, Mr Darragh kept his face covered to avoid detection and so could not be identified from CCTV footage, Belfast Live reports.
However, as part of their investigation, police officers looked through photos on social media sites to find images from the riot. Mr Darragh had tagged himself in a Facebook photo showing him participating in the disturbance.
The tag linked to his profile page, from which officers were able to find out his full name and other details. He was subsequently arrested and admitted one charge of participating in the riot. He has been given a two year prison sentence.
