One of the Ely rioters was found hiding under a bed when police went to arrest him, the fourth day of a sentencing hearing has heard. Ryan Knight had failed to turn up for a court hearing, and was later arrested, while hiding under a friend’s bed at a house in Ely.
He was 18 years old at the time of the riots, and his involvement was described as “persistent and prolific”. Earlier this week, he was taken down to the cells after an outburst in court.
The violence began following the deaths of two teenage boys in an electric bike collision on May 22, 2023. A total of 30 people who were involved are being sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court.
Around 150 people attended the riot which saw hours of violence and vandalism take place on the streets on and near Wilson Road in the west Cardiff suburb.
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, were killed while riding an electric bike through the streets in the area. The two young boys were involved in a fatal collision and were later pronounced dead at the scene. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter
The mothers of the two teenagers attempted to run to their children, grief-stricken and in desperation, but their path was blocked by the police.
Moments after the collision large crowds consisting of members of the close-knit community of Ely came out to witness the horror as it unfolded.
(Image: John Myers)
Shock and sadness quickly turned to distress and anger at how the police were handling the scene and as rumours circulated that the police were responsible for the death of Kyrees and Harvey who had previously been pursued by a police van.
Police officers set up a cordon to protect the scene but as time went on a larger proportion of the crowd became hostile towards the police with that hostility quickly escalating to the point the police were facing a flat-out riot.
Hundreds of police officers were directed to assist colleagues as missiles were thrown from the crowd including bottles, bricks, plasterboard, and fireworks.
Cars parked in the street were rolled over and set alight, doors were taken off their hinges and thrown at officers, mattresses were set alight, and petrol bombs were thrown with one police officer engulfed in flames.
On Wednesday, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Jasmine Smith – who was cousins with Harvey Evans – joined in with mass riots in the Cardiff suburb after police were wrongly blamed for the boys’ deaths.
Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, told the court on Wednesday how Smith threw two missiles later on in the evening of May 22, 2023. She was seen shortly before 8pm approaching the front of the cordon which had been erected by police and she witnessed the aggression of others and told an officer: “You want to kill another kid tonight, I’m here.”
Jayden Westcott(Image: WalesOnline)
Smith said she had a poor recollection of the riots due to intoxication. Sali Harmes, for Smith, told the court Harvey was Smith’s cousin. At that point Smith became tearful in the dock.
Ms Harmes said of Smith: “Her emotions were heightened due to what happened to him [Harvey]. She saw Harvey and Kyrees’ mothers were crying at the scene, but didn’t know what happened to them. After it was announced they had died, she became swept up in the mob instead of dealing with her grief.”
McKenzie Pring was described as a “good friend” of the boys, and spoke to one of their mothers while trying to “support people”, but when information seeped through and others began challenging the police, Pring threw three missiles.
Lianna Tucker was said to have been confrontational and was heard saying: “Get your f****** hands off me.” She was one of the last to move back, picked up items off the ground and handed them to fellow defendant Kyle Telemaque.
She was also seen picking up items from the floor and throwing them. The defendant told one officer: “You daft c***, keep away from me.”
Tucker later told police in her interview she thought the police had killed Kyrees and Harvey. She said: “I heard feds, I went up by Wilson where the boys had died. I was told by everyone it was the feds who killed them, and did something I shouldn’t have and joined in. I thought it was you guys who had killed them.”
Westcott was seen dragging a trolley and encouraging others during the riot. He was arrested and interviewed, answered “no comment” and made the assertion “the police killed my mates”.
His mobile phone was seized and examined. Messages were found on the phone, in which he agreed “feds going to die tonight”. He also said he had “slit one’s face”.
On Thursday, defendants Ryan Knight, Jumana Fouad, Jaydan Baston, Jamie Bateman and Liam Williams will be appearing at the sentencing hearing.
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