A former NYPD officer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for attacking police with a metal flagpole during the January 6 riots.
Thomas Webster’s prison sentence is the longest so far among the 250 defendants who have been punished for their role during the attack on the US Capitol.
Webster, a 20-year NYPD veteran, was the first Capitol riot defendant to face trial for assault and tried to present an argument of self-defence.
A jury rejected Webster’s claim that he was defending himself when he tackled Metropolitan Police Department officer Noah Rathbun and grabbed his gas mask outside the Capitol on January 6.
In sentencing the 56-year-old retired cop to 10 years prison plus three years of supervised release, US District Judge Amit Mehta said that along with Mr Rathbun, “the other victim was democracy.”
Judge Mehta allowed Webster to report to prison at a date to be determined instead of immediately ordering him into custody.
Associated Press contributed to this report