Mayhill riot: Man cleared of taking part in city riot

Kye Dennis was found not guilty of taking part in a riot in Swansea last year

A man has been cleared by a jury of taking part in a riot in Swansea last year.

Kye Dennis, 25, of Fforestfach, Swansea, was found not guilty following a trial at Swansea Crown Court.

He took a £250 black Vauxhall Astra to Swansea hours before it was torched and used in a riot in the Mayhill area of the city on 20 May, 2021.

But he denied playing any part in the riot and called the scenes "disgusting".

The Astra - along with a silver Ford Ka - were set alight and rolled down Waun Wen Road during the disorder.

Mr Dennis, who ran a recovery and scrap business, collected the car in Carmarthen and took it to Swansea but had no idea what was going to happen to it.

Cars were burned out in the Mayhill riot

The riot sparked by the sudden death of 19-year-old Ethan Powell.

Mr Dennis denied wrongdoing and said he was only there to "pay his respects" to Mr Powell during a vigil that later turned violent.

He was arrested by police a month after the riot and told officers: "I was there but I didn't do anything. When it got bad I left. It was disgusting."

A total of 27 people aged 15 to 44 have been charged with riot-related offences and 26 - not Mr Dennis - have since pleaded guilty.

Twenty-six have pleaded guilty to offences but Kye Dennis denied a charge of riot

Giles Hayes, defending Mr Dennis, said hours of footage recovered by police at no point showed his client acting violently.

Mr Powell was found unresponsive at his grandmother's home in Lambert Road near the city's marina on May 18 2021. He died later in hospital.

An inquest into his death found he died of an "unintentional overdose" and a police investigation concluded there were no suspicious circumstances.

During the hearing, Mr Powell's family reiterated their disapproval of the riot and said they in no way instigated it.