Man who used sliders 'as missile' in Ely riot sentenced

McKenzie Danks joined the riots following the deaths of teenagers Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, in 2023

A man who admitted to assaulting two police officers during disorder in the Ely area of Cardiff has been given a suspended sentence.

McKenzie Danks, 22, from Caerau, pushed one officer and threw a slider shoe at another but caused no injuries.

On Wednesday, Cardiff Crown Court heard it happened in the early stages of violence sparked by the deaths of teenagers Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, on 22 May 2023.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said she accepted his "genuine remorse" for his actions. She sentenced him to 12 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months.

Danks was found not guilty on a separate charge of rioting in October this year, but Judge Lloyd Clarke said his actions had to be seen "in the context" of the riot happening around him.

The court heard Danks arrived at Snowden Road on 22 May 2023, after hearing about an crash involving two teenagers, and "lied" that he was one of their brothers.

He was "passively obstructive to officers" and "did not comply with requests to move back and had to be physically moved at times".

At one point he was "pushed back" by an officer and then fell over a bike.

"That made you angry," said Judge Lloyd-Clarke.

"Your response was to get up and push PC Attwell. You lost your sliders and you picked up these and one by one threw them at PC Rogers."

The court heard PC Thomas Attwell and PC Daniel Rogers were not injured but Judge Lloyd-Clarke said Danks's actions "must have caused minor distress to officers".

"You were using your shoes as a missile and I regard that as use of a weapon or equivalent," she added.

Cars were targeted as trouble flared in Ely, Cardiff, in May 2023

The court heard Danks had just turned 20 at the time of the offence and was "immature" but was "genuinely remorseful of his actions".

His defence barrister, Hannah Friedman, said her client had a full-time job but was "struggling immensely" with a "very large" legal bill from the five-week long trial he faced in October.

Danks was sentenced for assault by beating of two police officers to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

He was also order to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay costs and victim surcharge.