Youths appear in court charged over riot sparked by e-bike crash deaths

A further five adults and eight youths have appeared in court charged with offences related to a riot sparked by the deaths of two teenagers in a crash in Cardiff last year.

Tensions in the Ely area of the city boiled over following the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, on the evening of May 22 2023 when they crashed on an e-bike minutes after CCTV captured them being followed by a South Wales Police van.

Local people and police at the scene clashed, leading to a riot that lasted several hours, during which time dozens of officers were injured, property was damaged and cars were set alight.

The 13 adults and youths appeared before Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged with offences related to the event.

The adults appearing were Lee Robinson, 37, from Cardiff, charged with riot; Janine Reffell, 53, from Ely, Cardiff, charged with criminal damage; Morgan Williams, 18, from Pentwyn, Cardiff, charged with threatening to cause criminal damage; Jayden Williams, 18, from Grangetown, Cardiff, charged with threatening to cause criminal damage, and McKenzie Pring, 19, who appeared by video-link from HMP Parc, charged with riot.

The youths, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are aged between 15 and 17.

Seven of the youths were charged with riot, to which they all pleaded not guilty.

One was charged with threatening to cause criminal damage, and pleaded guilty.

Belinda Sullivan and Nadine Evans, the mothers of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, were in court for Friday’s hearing.

District Judge Stephen Harmes set a trial for December 16 listed for five days for the youths.

All the defendants were granted unconditional bail except Pring, who remains at HMP Parc.

Reffell and twins Morgan and Jayden Williams pleaded guilty to their offences, the rest did not enter pleas.

District Judge Stephen Harmes told the court Reffell had pleaded guilty to damaging a Peugeot 308 police vehicle, causing less than £5,000 of damage.

She will next appear before the court on November 26 for sentencing.

He said: “You caused criminal damage to the rear window on the day of the riots on an adjoining street away from the rest of the rioting.”

Twins Morgan and Jayden Williams, both 18, pleaded guilty to threatening to cause criminal damage.

The court heard that one of the twins said: “Your station, your police station is getting blown up tonight. That’s on my brother’s grave.”

Separately, they said that police vans were “getting put through” and the other said the “police cars are getting blown up, yeah”.

The court heard that the twins had reported themselves to South Wales Police.

District Judge Harmes sent all the adult cases to Cardiff Crown Court on October 21.

The hearing comes after 17 others appeared before the magistrates’ court charged with riot on Thursday, with all the cases sent to Cardiff Crown Court on October 21.