Man accused of rioting 'embarrassed' by his actions

Cars were set on fire during the Ely riots of May 2023

A man accused of rioting in Cardiff two years ago has told a court he is "embarrassed" by the way he behaved.

Mckenzie Danks, 22, was giving evidence at the trial of eight people charged with rioting in May 2023, when violence broke out following the deaths of two teenage boys in Ely.

He told the jury his refusal to move when asked by the police was "cringey", adding "it's embarrassing, I was being ignorant."

Newport Crown Court heard Mr Danks became "nosy" when rumours started to circulate that two boys were "on the floor".

Mr Danks said he returned from work to his home in Heol Trelai Caerau at 17:00 on 22 May and soon heard about an incident that had taken place in nearby Ely.

He went to see what had happened and described the crowd which had assembled on Wilson Road as "quiet".

Mr Danks said he felt "nervous" and "stunned" as rumours started to circulate.

The court was again shown bodyworn footage that showed the 22-year-old standing in front of officers and refusing to move.

The actions were described by the prosecution as "passively resistant and disruptive" which Mr Danks said he accepted.

The court heard he had already pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer and he was asked to describe what happened.

"I got pushed over a bike and as I got up, I got hit with a baton to the left arm so I pushed the officer back and my sliders fell off and I threw them at the officer," he said.

Asked why he pushed one officer, he said he was "embarrassed" about the situation he was in and threw his slider in retaliation to being hit.

Mr Danks said it had "hurt" which left him feeling "frustrated".

Mr Danks told the court he had "panicked" and "lied" in his police interview when he told officers he did not return to the scene.

He was caught on camera near to the police line at 23:13.

The jury was shown a picture of Mr Danks, taken a week after, which he said showed "bruising to my eye and a cut to nose" because of the kick to the face.

Mr Danks clashed with prosecutor Matthew Cobbe under cross examination about his intentions when getting closer to the scene.

Mr Cobbe said he "wanted to be part" of the trouble, which Mr Danks denied.

He was also asked why he repeatedly refused to give the name of the person who had driven him to the scene saying :"he is nothing to do with this".

On Tuesday the court heard Lee Robinson would not be giving evidence in his defence.

38 year-old Lee Robinson from Caerau, 22 year-old McKenzie Danks from Caerau, 37 year-old Michaela Gonzales from Ely, 25 year-old Zayne Farrugia from Caerau, 27 year-old Jordan Bratcher from Llanishen, 21 year-old Jaydan Baston from Caerau, 26 year-old Connor O'Sullivan from Ely and 31 year-old Luke Williams from Caerau deny the charge of riot.

The trial continues.