Mums barred from viewing dying teens as riot trial unfolds in Ely, Cardiff
Eight defendants deny riot charges as police footage shows mothers were told they could not see their sons’ bodies
Eight people are on trial in Newport Crown Court charged with rioting that prosecutors say sparked mayhem and carnage in Ely, Cardiff, two years ago after the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, in an e-bike crash on Snowden Road on May 22, 2023. A police officer testified that mothers of the two dying teens were told they would not be able to view their sons’ bodies before violence began, a detail highlighted during cross-examination of a witness for the defense. The trial is expected to last six weeks and features more than 200 hours of police body-worn footage from the night in question.
The court heard that the eight defendants – Lee Robinson, 38, from Caerau; McKenzie Danks, 22, from Caerau; Michalea Gonzalez, 37, from Ely; Zayne Farrugia, 25, from Caerau; Jordan Bratcher, 27, from Llanishen; Jaydan Baston, 21, from Caerau; Connor O'Sullivan, 26, from Ely; and Luke Williams, 31, from Caerau – deny the charge of riot. Newport Crown Court was told the riot in Ely involved overturned vehicles, fires, and clashes with police, with police officers reportedly injured and property damaged as protesters confronted authorities after the teenagers’ deaths.
In police body-worn footage shown to jurors, Robinson is depicted wearing a gray Chicago Bulls vest and repeatedly calling officers “murderers” while also telling a fellow protester from the crowd that people “kill dogs, you kill kids.” Prosecutors described him as an “aggressive focal point” of the unrest. A text message recovered from his phone the day after the riot reads, “we flipped the car and blew them up.” Under cross examination, the officer who prepared the material admitted the footage was chosen to illustrate offending behavior rather than to provide a neutral account.
Haggerty-James also explained that the material was compiled to capture what the police judged to be the defendants’ offending behavior, not to offer a comprehensive record of every event that occurred that night. The witness acknowledged that one clip later in the evening showed Robinson engaging with a police dog handler in a manner the defense argued did not present him as an aggressive actor to the same degree as the earlier footage. The defense’s counsel pressed the officer on why certain footage was included or excluded, noting that other footage that could reflect different conduct was not in the material.
The deaths of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans catalyzed the protests, which drew thousands of people into the area and culminated in a confrontation with law enforcement. The trial has noted the scale of the disturbance, including litter, destruction of property, and a vehicle set on fire, with multiple police officers reported injured during the disturbance. The prosecution has maintained that all eight defendants contributed to the riot by participating in a mob that caused “mayhem” and “carnage.”
The defendants, who range in age from 21 to 38 and come from several areas of Cardiff and surrounding communities, deny the riot charge. The court has heard a mix of testimony and body-worn-camera footage as prosecutors seek to establish that the defendants acted in concert during the disorder. The defense has argued that the footage does not prove an intent to riot or to cause the level of disruption claimed by investigators, and that some footage could reflect a variety of reactions to the night’s events rather than a single criminal objective.
The trial is continuing as jurors review hours of footage and testimony from police witnesses, with further statements expected in the coming days. The case underscores ongoing tensions in the community and the legal system’s handling of protests linked to high-profile civilian deaths. The courtroom proceedings proceed with the aim of determining whether the eight defendants coordinated to commit riot or acted as individual participants whose actions, collectively, formed a riot. The Ely events remain a focal point for discussions about policing, crowd control, and public response to tragedy in Wales.
