Teenager pleads guilty to bonfire night violence in Edinburgh

A teenager has pleaded guilty to being part of a masked gang that attacked police officers during a Bonfire Night riot in Edinburgh.

Finlay Burns launched rockets and missiles at officers and smashed up an unmarked police car during a night of violence in the capital on 5 November 2024.

The 19-year-old handed out the explosives to younger members of the gang and incited them to attack officers who had attended the disorder in the Gracemount area of the city.

Burns pleaded guilty to charges of mobbing and rioting and culpable and reckless conduct to the danger of life when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.

He was recorded on CCTV taking part in the riot, identified by officers due to his clothing and arrested four weeks later on 2 December 2024.

The large scale disturbance was just one of many violent incidents that broke out across the city forcing police to deploy riot officers and a helicopter as part of Operation Crackle.

Similar incidents in areas including Gilmerton, Gracemount and Niddrie saw the fire service come under attack and Lothian Buses forced to withdraw services after public transport vehicles were pelted with fireworks and bricks.

Prosecutor Emma Laing played several pieces of footage of the mass disorder to the court that showed a masked group of around 50 youths launching fireworks, rocks and bottles at police officers.

Riot police could be seen lined up behind plastic shields across a road in Edinburgh.

In the footage, a police helicopter could be heard circling overhead as officers were bombarded with missiles including rocks, bottles and exploding fireworks thrown by the large group which included Burns.

A separate clip showed the mob moving up Gracemount Road before surrounding and attacking an unmarked police vehicle that was parked at the side of the road.

Burns, from Edinburgh, was identified as a member of the group who jumped on, kicked, shook and smashed the windows of the vehicle.

Another piece of footage saw three police vans coming under attack by the gang who threw fireworks at the vehicles as they travelled along Captain's Road.

He threw fireworks and objects including rocks and bottles at police officers and vehicles, distributed fireworks and directed them.

The court heard Burns also incited others to throw fireworks, pull wipers off, smash windows, kick and shake and smash the windscreen of an unmarked police vehicle.

Burns admitted to culpably and recklessly brandishing fireworks at police officers and firing lit fireworks at police vehicles occupied by police officers causing fireworks to strike the vehicles.

Sheriff Gillian Sharp said due to the "extremely serious nature of the offences" she was deferring sentence for the preparation or reports to next month and agreed to continue bail in the meantime.