More than 40 people have been sentenced for their roles in a protest before a Manchester United match last year.

A protest against the club ownership was planned for the clash between the Red Devils and Liverpool on May 2.

More than 1000 of the protestors were at Old Trafford, as well as another 200 or so protestors at the Lowry Hotel.

But despite a significant police presence, it soon spiralled out of control and a number of people broke into the stadium.

Dozens of police officers, stewards and other workers were assaulted and barriers, bottles and flares were thrown.

The damage caused was worth tens of thousands of pounds, most of it to TV cameras owned by a private company.

The match was postponed and an investigation was launched, with hundreds of hours of CCTV reviewed to see who was involved.

More than 40 people have been sentenced, almost all of them this month, for offences such as assault, burglary and criminal damage.

Their ages range from the teens to 52 years old.

GMP's Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said: "GMP’s Major Investigation Team launched an extensive investigation relating to the disorder, following up on a large number of enquiries and intelligence received from public appeals, as well as extensive CCTV analysis and identification work, to make sure these people were located and made to face the consequences of their appalling actions on the day.

"Our officers put their lives on the line every day to keep the people of Greater Manchester safe, and it is absolutely shameful that anyone would willingly assault an emergency worker. We simply will not tolerate this happening.

"This incident also happened in the midst of the pandemic, when our emergency services were already stretched trying to reach those who needed us the most.

"I hope these people feel ashamed of their actions and have some sense of remorse."

This article was written by Jack Tooth. Jack is a reporter for The Messenger and covers anything and everything from within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford.

To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.