Thirty Rioters Jailed Over Teenagers’ E-Bike Deaths: Ely 2026

Key Points

• Mass Sentencing: A total of 30 defendants have been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court for their involvement in the widespread disorder in the Ely area of Cardiff in May 2023.
• Tragic Catalyst: The riots were sparked by the deaths of teenagers Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, who crashed on an electric bike.
• Social Media Rumours: False rumours spreading online regarding a police pursuit directly led to mounting hostility and hours of sustained violence against emergency services.
• Casualties and Damage: The disorder resulted in injuries to 31 police officers and one civilian, alongside significant material damage, including torched cars and petrol bomb attacks.
• Police Misconduct Hearing: The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed no physical contact occurred between the police van and the e-bike, but a gross misconduct hearing has been ordered for the driver regarding the accuracy of accounts and language used.

Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) June 20, 2026 – A total of 30 individuals have received sentences at Cardiff Crown Court following a multi-day hearing evaluating their involvement in the violent riots that shook the community of Ely, Cardiff, in May 2023. The widespread civil unrest, which followed the tragic deaths of two local teenagers on an electric bike, resulted in significant injuries to dozens of emergency workers and extensive property destruction. Over three consecutive days of hearings on June 17, 18, and 19, the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, handed down combinations of long-term custodial sentences, community orders, and youth detention mandates to the defendants, bringing a complex prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to its primary conclusion.

What Caused the Cardiff Riots in May 2023?

As recorded in the official legal transcripts provided by court correspondents, the underlying catalyst for the severe public disorder was a fatal road traffic incident involving two local youths. Kyrees Sullivan, aged 16, and Harvey Evans, aged 15, lost their lives when the electric bike they were riding crashed in the Ely district of the city.

Following the incident, misinformation began spreading rapidly across digital channels. As reported by legal correspondents covering the proceedings at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke noted during her sentencing remarks that the circulation of unverified allegations online inflamed community tensions:

“The loss of Kyrees and Harvey has obviously caused the most terrible grief to their families. The deaths of Kyrees and Harvey also brought grief to their community in Ely. As the terrible news began to spread, people gathered near the scene. Very soon rumours began to spread about the cause of the crash, including rumours on social media, and the police were blamed. More people came to join the crowd, not just those in the immediate vicinity but also from the surrounding area. Anger and hostility towards the police began to build.”

How Did the Community Violence Escalate?

According to the prosecution records presented during the multi-day sentencing, the gathering quickly transitioned from a vigil into an openly aggressive confrontation.

As documented by court reporters at the scene, the crowd became hostile when police officers attempted to widen the security cordon around the crash site to preserve evidence.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke detailed the subsequent hours of sustained aggression in her public remarks:

“The police officers at the scene were abused and threatened with violence. As the police were moving the crowd further back, some people in the crowd began throwing missiles at the police – bottles, bricks, stones, bits of plasterboard, and other items were thrown at the officers. The missile throwing continued for hours.”

The court documents reveal that as the evening progressed, spectators and participants actively filmed and live-streamed the deteriorating situation on various social media platforms.

This digital visibility drew more individuals to the scene, culminating in vehicles being set on fire and petrol bombs being thrown at responding lines of officers. The riot persisted for hours, eventually dispersing around midnight when numbers dwindled.

What Was the Extent of Injuries and Property Damage?

Official figures verified during the trial show that 31 police officers and one member of the public sustained physical injuries during the confrontation.

The injuries ranged from severe bruising and concussions to sprained limbs caused by impact from throwing materials. Additionally, the local infrastructure in Ely suffered substantial material damage, incurring significant costs for local authorities and private vehicle owners.

Who Are the Defandants and What Sentences Did They Receive?

As reported by judicial journalists documenting the final orders from Cardiff Crown Court, the 30 adults and young offenders processed during the mid-June hearings received specific sentences scaled to their documented involvement.

• Ashdon O’Dare (28, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to six years and six months imprisonment.
• Lee Robinson (39, of Caerau, Cardiff): Sentenced to six years and six months imprisonment.
• Luke Williams (32, of Caerau, Cardiff): Sentenced to six years imprisonment.
• Jordan Bratcher (27, of Llanishen, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment.
• Zayne Farrugia (26, of Caerau, Cardiff): Sentenced to six years imprisonment.
• Jordan Webster (30, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and seven months imprisonment.
• Jaydon Westcott (21, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and two months imprisonment.
• Michaela Gonzales (37, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and two months imprisonment.
• Lee-Martin McQuade (30, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to six years and four months imprisonment.
• Kieron Beccano (27, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment.
• Jamie Stephen Bateman (28, of Caerau, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and nine months imprisonment.
• Jamie Jones (25, Llanrumney, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and two months imprisonment.
• Cameron Francis Carter (20, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment.
• Ryan Knight (21, of Splott, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment.
• Matthew Evans (22, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to six years and four months imprisonment.

Which Defendants Received Shorter Imprisonment Terms or Detention?

• Tyler Stapleton (26, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to four years and four months imprisonment.
• Connor O’Sullivan (27, of Caerau, Cardiff): Sentenced to five years imprisonment.
• Callum O’Sullivan (25, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment.
• Gemma Virgin (45, of Ely, Cardiff): Sentenced to three years and eight months imprisonment.
• James Chappell (31, of Barry): Sentenced to four years and four months imprisonment.
• Liam Williams (21, of Rumney, Cardiff): Sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment.

Who Was Sentenced to Young Offenders’ Institutions?

• Malaki McQuade (19, of Ely, Cardiff): Ordered to serve x years in a Young Offenders’ Institution.
• Liam Black (21, of Ely, Cardiff): Ordered to serve six years and nine months in a Young Offenders’ Institution.
• McKenzie Pring (21, of Caerau, Cardiff): Ordered to serve four years in a Young Offenders’ Institution.
• Jayden Baston (21, of Caerau, Cardiff): Ordered to serve four years and six months in a Young Offenders’ Institution.
• Kyle Telemaque (20, of Ely, Cardiff): Ordered to serve five years in a Young Offenders’ Institution.

Who Received Non-Custodial Orders?

• Jumana Fouad (19, of Ely, Cardiff): Awarded a 24-month community order alongside 15 days of mandatory rehabilitation activity.
• Lianna Tucker (20, of Ely, Cardiff): Awarded a 24-month community order alongside 25 days of mandatory rehabilitation activity.
• Harvey James (20, of Fairwater, Cardiff): Given a 24-month rehabilitation order.
• Jasmine Smith (21, of Heath, Cardiff): Handed a 24-month community order.

Prior to this multi-day judicial event, ten youths had already been sentenced for their participation in the rioting, while an additional five adults received sentences for peripheral offences linked to the incident.

How Did the Crown Prosecution Service Respond to the Verbatim Judgments?

Following the conclusion of the three-day sentencing block, the state prosecution service issued an official statement detailing the logistics and intent behind the legal action. As recorded by national legal analysts, Nathan Fear of the CPS emphasised the gravity of the case:

“These events occurred after the tragic deaths of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, and our thoughts remain with their families. What followed was a serious outbreak of disorder, where individuals engaged in violence and caused significant damage within the community. For local residents, this was an extremely frightening incident, with rioting taking place on their streets and outside their homes.”

Mr Fear further commented on the analytical methods utilized by the prosecution to secure convictions against the 30 co-defendants:

“This was a complex prosecution involving multiple defendants and extensive evidence, including drone footage, social media and police body‑worn video. That careful, detailed work allowed us to demonstrate each person’s role in the riot. These sentences reflect the seriousness of this offending and send a clear message that this type of violence will not be tolerated.”

Background of the Cardiff Police Conduct Investigation

The root cause of the civil unrest was heavily linked to public perceptions of immediate police accountability. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, local community members claimed that a direct pursuit by South Wales Police officers caused the fatal crash.

To determine the factual timeline, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collision.

The IOPC’s definitive findings clarified that there was no physical contact between the police vehicle and the electric bike immediately prior to the collision. Furthermore, while closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage confirmed that a police van had been driving behind the teenagers earlier that evening, the agency found that the van was approximately half-a-mile away on an entirely different road when the crash occurred.

Despite exonerating the officers of causing the actual crash, the IOPC investigation concluded that the officer driving the police van has a case of gross misconduct to answer.

The disciplinary proceedings focus on the accuracy of the statements and formal accounts the officer provided to colleagues post-incident, alongside the specific language utilized by the driver in relation to the two boys at the scene of the crash. Arrangements are currently underway to convene a formal misconduct hearing for the individual in question.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Local Communities and Digital Platforms

This comprehensive legal resolution is expected to have measurable impacts on local residents, community policing strategies, and digital platform users.

For the residents of Ely and the wider Cardiff area, the finality of these long-term sentences is likely to establish a firm legal precedent, discouraging future spontaneous public disorder by showing that digital recordings—even those uploaded by participants themselves—will be systematically used by prosecutors to identify and penalize rioters.

The high number of lengthy custodial sentences sends a strong warning regarding the consequences of participating in civil unrest.

On a broader scale, the case highlights the dangerous intersection of real-world emergencies and rapid online misinformation. Social media users and community networks may experience stricter scrutiny and faster intervention from digital platforms during high-tension events, as the Ely riots demonstrate how unverified digital rumours can quickly escalate into physical violence.