Man guilty of 'whipping up' violence in Ely riots

A man accused of "striking the match that lit the fuse" of a riot in Cardiff has been found guilty.

The trial heard 29-year-old Ashdon O'Dare had been whipping up the crowd and encouraging others around him to get involved in the violence in Ely in May 2023.

The disorder started after two teenagers, Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, were killed when their e-bike crashed.

Tensions escalated after police were blamed for the crash, sparking hours of violence and vandalism, with about 150 people turning up to riot.

The court had heard O'Dare was one of the first at the scene of the crash and was caught on body-worn footage "whipping up the crowd around him", while directing abuse at the police and "encouraging others" to take part in the violence.

He was the last person to be tried for rioting in connection with the incident.

The court heard 30 people are due to be sentenced for the riot in total, with the hearing due to start in June.

O'Dare - wearing grey jeans and a light grey zipped top - welled up as he heard the verdict.

He was released on unconditional bail but told by Judge Tracey Lloyd Clarke not to read anything into that.

"Riot is a serious offence for which those found guilty can expect a custodial sentence of some length," she said.