Three men jailed over Halloween fireworks disorder in Dundee

Three men have been jailed and two others have been given non-custodial sentences over their role in Halloween disorder in Dundee three years ago which caused £40,000 worth of damage.

Fireworks were thrown at the emergency services, bricks were thrown at cars and a police officer was injured during six hours of violence in the Kirkton area of the city on 31 October 2022.

George Reid, 36 was jailed for 38 months while Marley Williams, 25 and Brandon Williams, 25 were jailed for 24 months and 20 months respectively for breach of the peace offences.

Sheriff Krista Johnston told the men they were "a disgrace to their community".

At Falkirk Sheriff Court, she said: "Halloween is a well-recognised family occasion, where children are out on the streets after dark to enjoy the excitement and fun of dressing up.

"On Halloween 2022 you all played a part in destroying any opportunity your community's families had to enjoy and participate in that tradition."

Another man, Jack Reynolds, 23 was given a restriction of liberty order and Stewart Burns, 41 was given a community payback order.

The court heard that police were ambushed after burning bins were placed on streets as mayhem erupted.

Others were pelted with missiles, including fireworks. One police officer's clothing was set on fire.

Passers-by caught up in the incident ushered frightened children to safety as pyrotechnics exploded around them and the emergency services struggled.

Prosecutor Joanna Ritchie said the cost of damage to vehicles and property totalled at least £40,000 while extra policing cost £13,000.

Williams' sentence will to be served consecutively to a six-year term he is serving for attempted murder.

Burns, who was found guilty of a charge of breach of the peace with "limited participation", was sentenced to 160 hours unpaid work plus a restriction of liberty order for three months and social work supervision.

Reynolds, from Broughty Ferry, was also found guilty of breach of the peace by the jury, and was sentenced to 300 hours unpaid work, given a six month restriction of liberty order and ordered to pay Dundee City Council £1,000 compensation.

Burns and Reynolds had both denied criminal involvement in the six-hour-long incident. They claimed they were innocent bystanders, either watching what was happening or actively moving away from it.

But Burns' was convicted after jurors were shown social media footage of him laughing in the direction of someone holding a firework.

During sentencing, the judge continued: "You set about ensuring your community's peace was disrupted, the authority of the police was challenged, property was destroyed, and police officers were put under threat of injury.

"Fires were set, you weaponised fireworks acquired by some of you and used them to instil fear and threaten injury."

Ch Insp Colin Echevarria, of Police Scotland, said the convictions and sentences sent a message that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

He said: "Kirkton has moved on from these previous incidents and we'll continue to support the community to make sure it's a safe place for everyone to enjoy all year round, without fear of disorder."