GettyThe mothers of two dying teens were stopped by police from seeing their sons’ bodies before violence erupted, a trial has been told.
Eight people have gone on trial accused of rioting which caused “mayhem” and “carnage” in Ely, Cardiff, two years ago.
Newport Crown Court heard there was 200 hours of police body-worn footage from the riot sparked by the deaths of two teenagers, Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, who were killed when their e-bike crashed on Snowden Road on 22 May 2023.
A police officer told jurors the footage included the two boys’ mothers being told they would not be able to see their bodies.
Fiona Haggerty-James from South Wales Police, the officer who put together much of the material, made the admission during cross-examination by one of the defendant’s lawyers.
Athena Picture AgencyProsecutors described one of the defendants Lee Robinson from Caerau, Cardiff, as an “aggressive focal point” of the riot.
In police body-worn footage, Mr Robinson can be seen wearing a grey Chicago Bulls vest and repeatedly calling police officers “murderers” as well claiming “you kill dogs, you kill kids”.
In a text exchange found on Mr Robinson’s phone from the following day, he appears to tell a friend “we flipped the car and blew them up”.
Under cross examination Ms Haggerty-James accepted Robinson appeared to be focused on one of the police dog handlers and was not directing abuse at any other officers.
Family photoHarry Baker, defending Mr Robinson, also played another video from later in the evening where his client spoke “pleasantly” to an officer and asked why it was not in the prosecution’s material.
Ms Haggerty-James said the material had been compiled to “capture their offending behaviour”.
On Tuesday, the jury was told that all eight defendants “played a part in the rioting mob”.
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.
The trial is expected to last six weeks.
