Five more people appear in court for rioting after fatal e-bike accident

Tensions boiled over in the borough of Ely after Kyrees Sullivan (16) and Harvey Evans (15) died on the evening of May 22, 2023 when they crashed an e-bike, just minutes after CCTV recorded them being pursued by a South Wales Police van.

Clashes broke out between local residents and police officers, leading to hours of riots in which dozens of police officers were injured, property was damaged and cars were set on fire.

Five adults appeared before Cardiff Magistrates Court on Friday charged with offences related to the event.

Present were Lee Robinson, 37, of Cardiff, who is charged with rioting; Janine Reffell, 53, of Ely, Cardiff, who is charged with criminal damage; Morgan Williams, 18, of Pentwyn, Cardiff, who is charged with threatening to commit criminal damage; Jayden Williams, 18, of Grangetown, Cardiff, who is charged with threatening to commit criminal damage, and McKenzie Pring, 19, who appeared via video link from HMP Parc and is charged with rioting.

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

Reffell and twins Morgan and Jayden Williams pleaded guilty to their crimes.

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

She will appear in court again on November 26 to hear the verdict.

He said: “You caused deliberate damage to the rear window on the day of the riots in an adjacent street, away from the rest of the riots.”

Twins Morgan and Jayden Williams, both 18, pleaded guilty to threatening to commit property damage.

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

One said that “police cars would be allowed through” and one said that “police cars would be blown up, yes”.

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

District Judge Harmes remanded the twins’ cases, along with the other defendants, to Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing on October 21.

The hearing comes after 17 more people appeared before the magistrates’ court on Thursday on charges of rioting, with all cases being referred to Cardiff Crown Court on October 21.

The court is scheduled to hear the cases of eight juveniles on Friday afternoon.