Eight people stand trial over 2023 Ely riot

Local TV

In May 2023, two teenage boys lost their lives after an apparent police chase, which led to rioting in the surrounding area. Cars were set alight, properties were damaged and police officers were injured. Eight people are now standing trial over their alleged involvement in the incident at Newport Crown Court.

Transcript

00:00On the 22nd of May, 2023, two teenage boys lost their lives in a scooter accident after

00:07an apparent police chase. The aftermath of the incident sparked immediate backlash from

00:11the local community around Ely, where the boys were from, and the crash took place.

00:17Rioting broke out in the streets, cars were destroyed, properties were damaged, and a

00:21number of police officers and civilians were injured during the unrest, which went into

00:25the early hours of the following day.

00:26Now at Newport Crown Court, eight people are on trial, accused of taking part in that

00:32disorder. Jurors heard that, as news spread through Ely, anger turned to violence, with

00:37officers coming under sustained attack. Prosecutors said crowds hurled bricks, bottles, plasterboard

00:43and fireworks, while cars were overturned and set alight.

00:47One of the most shocking moments came when a female officer was struck by a petrol bomb

00:51and engulfed her in flames. The court heard she survived the attack, thanks to colleagues

00:56rushing to her aid. Body-worn camera footage shown to jurors captured the scale of the

01:01unrest, with prosecutors describing carnage for several hours, as police tried to hold

01:06cordons around the crash scene.

01:09The eight defendants, men and women from Cardiff, aged between 21 and 38, each deny a charge of

01:15riot. Prosecution says while their roles differed, they shared a common purpose of fuelling the

01:20violence.

01:20Several others have already pleaded guilty to offences from that night, but jurors have

01:26been told their task is to decide whether only these eight took part.

01:31The night lives in infamy around Ely, with residents scared for their lives in the evening,

01:35thousands of pounds worth of damage, and deep scars left throughout the community.

01:39The trial continues.

01:40J.P. Watkins, reporting for Local TV.

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