Petrol bomb thrown at police during riot, trial told

A police officer was "covered in flames" after a petrol bomb was thrown at her during a riot, a trial has been told.

Eight people have gone on trial accused of rioting which caused "mayhem" and "carnage" in Ely, Cardiff, two years ago.

Newport Crown Court heard the violence was sparked by the deaths of two teenagers, Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, who were killed when their e-bike crashed on Snowden Road on 22 May 2023.

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Cobbe said bodycam footage showed "police were being blamed for the crash" and "hostility increased rapidly".

On trial: (Clockwise from top left) Lee Robinson, 38; McKenzie Danks, 22; Michaela Gonzalez, 37; Zayne Farrugia, 25; Luke Williams, 31 Connor O'Sullivan, 26; Jaydan Baston, 21; and Jordan Bratcher, 27, deny the charge of riot

"Rumours began to spread about the cause of the crash and that police were pursuing the boys before they crashed," he said.

The court heard "bottles, bricks, plasterboard and more" were hurled at police with fires set, fireworks thrown and "cars trashed".

A female officer had a petrol bomb thrown at her, "covering her in flames", the court heard.

"It was carnage for several hours," added Mr Cobbe.

The court heard several police officers were injured in the violence and some of those officers were still feeling the impact of the psychological harm the riot caused.

A car was set on fire during the riots and several police officers were injured in the violence

Body-worn camera footage from police at the scene was played to the jury showing intense scenes throughout the evening of 22 May.

As the evening went on footage showed moments when police held Taser guns, warning the crowd to stand back and then pulling out their batons.

By 21:30, footage from behind police riots shields showed missiles being thrown. Shortly after a large object which was on fire was moved by rioters and thrown towards police.

More footage from about 22:30 showed a petrol bomb being thrown at the police line with the flames engulfing a police shield and a crowd of rioters loudly cheering.

Later, doors were thrown at officers as well as multiple fireworks. A car was set on fire with rioters jumping on its windscreen and another car rolled on to its roof.

The court heard the violence went on until the early hours of 23 May, with footage afterwards showing debris strewn all over the area.

A vigil was held for Kyrees Sullivan and his best friend Harvey Evans after they died in a road accident minutes after they had been involved in a pursuit with police

Mr Cobbe told the jury some people had already admitted taking part in the riot, adding that many saw it as an "irresistible opportunity to sneer and jeer and throw bottles and bricks," with many "enjoying themselves as they did so".

He said police held their lines and "did their best to manage the space that the riot occupied".

The jury were told the guilty pleas meant they did not have to decide whether a riot had taken place but they had to decide "whether these defendants were involved".

The deaths of 16-year-old Kyrees Sullivan and 15-year-old Harvey Evans sparked a riot in Cardiff's Ely suburb

Mr Cobbe added it was also clear that the "whole community did not support or condone this extraordinary violence", adding there were "occasional acts of kindness from residents who were plainly bewildered and frightened about what is going on around".

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

What are the defendants accused of?

Jurors were given a breakdown of the alleged role played by each of the defendants, with Mr Robinson described as an "aggressive focal point" who "fixated" on a police dog handler, saying "I'll kill you here".

He was arrested and footage was found on his phone, but he denied his voice could be heard calling the police "murderers" or celebrating when a petrol bomb hit officers.

The prosecution said Mr Danks threw his shoes at officers, which he said was in retaliation because he "believed he'd been hit by a police officer".

The court heard Ms Gonzalez was "vocal", "aggressive" and "threw a glass bottle at police" which narrowly missed them.

She accepted she was present and threw an item, but denies it was a bottle.

Mr Farrugia was said to have taken stones from a garden and thrown them at police, but disputes "whether a riot had started when he was throwing stones".

Mr Bratcher could be seen on aerial footage throwing objects at police in the early stages of the unrest, the court heard, but answered no comment to all questions when arrested.

Mr Baston was 18 at the time and threw a missile at police, according to the prosecution. He accepted throwing a tile, but said he was "not part of the riot" and threw it in frustration knowing it would not hit anyone.

Mr O'Sullivan was said to be part of a small group that threw missiles very close to the police line who appeared to "triumph in his assaults" and was part of a group who threw a door at police, but added he had been pressured to attend by peers.

Finally, Mr Williams was said to have stayed in a garden and live streamed the riot, encouraging watchers to join in. He said he did not encourage violence or riot.

Concluding his opening, Mr Cobbe said they "played their part" in the "rioting mob".

The trial is expected to last six weeks.