British Army may still take Twaddell loyalist who threw 18 missiles at police

A UNIONIST RIOTER jailed after pleading guilty to attacking police officers during an Orange Order protest in the Twaddell area during the Twelfth after he had drunk 40 bottles of Magners cider could still be accepted into the British Army, Belfast Crown Court heard yesterday.

Scott Cross (19), from Rutherglen Street in Belfast, had been accepted into the British Army before his attack on the police on 13 July 2015.

He was identified by the PSNI and arrested in September, when he confessed. 

He said he was “really drunk” after drinking around 40 bottles of Magners.

The prosecution stated that the potential recruit can be seen on video throwing “around 18 missiles out of his jacket pocket”.

His defence solicitor claimed to Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday that the throwing of the 18 missiles was a “one-off mistake”!

After he serves half of his 18-month sentence in prison with the other half out on licence, his defence added, the British Army “have not closed the door on him”.