'Prosecution desperate to convict in riot trial' – court

THE prosecution are “desperate to convict” the men on trial over the Ely riot and ignore evidence that does not suit their case, a court was told yesterday as concluding speeches were heard.

- PHILIP DEWEY

Barristers acting on behalf of the seven men accused of rioting in Cardiff spoke on their behalf after a prosecutor used his final speech of the Ely riot trial to lay out why the jury should convict seven men of rioting.

The defendants in this trial - which is the first trial to take place in connection with the ugly scenes that gripped the Cardiff suburb of Ely after the deaths of teenagers Harvey Evans and Kyrees Sullivan in an e-bike crash in May 2023 - include seven men aged between 21 and 38.

Lee Robinson, 38, of Heol Deva, Caerau, Luke Williams, 31, of Deere Place, Ely, Jaydan Baston, 21, of Heol Poyston, Caerau, McKenzie Danks, 22, of Heol Trelai, Caerau, Jordan Bratcher, 27, of Glyndwr Road, Ely, Zayne Farrugia, 25, of Heol Ebwy, Caerau, and Connor O'Sullivan, 26, of Caerau Court Road, Caerau, have all pleaded not guilty to rioting.