Former police officer convicted of storming the Capitol | abroad

The man, Thomas Robertson, was a member of the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia. He had to appear in court for, among other things, obstruction of justice, trespassing and tampering with evidence.

The jury heard several witnesses, including officers from the Washington Corps who were on duty during the storm, and a former classmate of Robertson. One of the officers stated that he was beaten with a stick by the suspect on 6 January. Letters were also read online in which Robertson called for “armed rebellion”.

What punishment awaits him will be determined later. Of the more than 750 people indicted for their role in the storming of the Capitol, Robertson was the second suspect to make it to trial by jury. Most of the suspects reached a settlement with the public prosecutor.

On January 6 last year, thousands of then-President Donald Trump supporters marched to the Capitol, where Congress will then certify the results of the presidential election. Trump provoked the crowd earlier that day with a speech in which he claimed that Democrat Joe Biden had won thanks to widespread electoral fraud. However, no evidence of this was found.