Mayhill riot: Car set alight as unmanned vehicle rolls down road

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Eighteen thugs involved in violent riots on an estate, which had hoped to hold a peaceful vigil following the death of a teenager, have been jailed.

The yobs can today be named and pictured for the first time since the disorder in Mayhill, Swansea, which saw cars and homes torched and police officers attacked. As a result of the anarchy, seven families have now left the Mayhill area or want to do so, Wales Online reports.

Those responsible ranged from children to men in their 40s, but each was jailed or sent to young offenders’ institutions on Monday.

Sentencing at Swansea Crown Court, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “I have a public duty to send out a clear message to the residents of this city that such behaviour will not be tolerated and will be appropriately punished.

“The sentences I pass are also intended to deter others from acting in a similar way in future.”

Here are the names of those who were convicted, their faces and the sentence they were handed in court:

Christopher Marc Munslow

Munslow, of Mayhill, Swansea.

Aged 23 now, he was 21 at the time of the riot. Munslow was part of the crowd who were holding on to an Astra as it was wheel-spun in the street and took part in the attack on the car. At the time of the incident, he was subject to a community order for the fraudulent use of an excise licence, and for traffic offences.

Sentence: Three-and-a-half years in prison

Niamh Cullen

Cullen, of  Gendros, Swansea, was 18 at the time of the riot, and is now 19. Judge Thomas said he accepted Cullen had gone to the area with no criminal intent but then willingly joined in the “disgraceful attack” on police by throwing a stone and remained at the scene of the disturbance for an hour and a half.

The judge said he had given the teenager’s case “the most anxious of considerations” but he was afraid the sentence had to be one of immediate custody.

Sentence: Two years and eight months in a young offenders institution

Lewis James

James lives in Swansea’s Maritime Quarter. James is 21 now and was 20 at the time.

James “played a very significant part in setting up the disturbance” and in using vehicles, stolen or legally obtained, “to provoke public spectacle”.

Judge Thomas said: “Without you and a handful of others, this riot would simply not have occurred”. The court heard the defendant was involved in damaging a Ford Ka which had been taken to the scene – at one stage jumping on the bonnet of the car as it was being torched – and was sat in a Vauxhall Astra as it was being wheel-spun in front of the crowd. The judge told James he had “revelled” in what he was doing. James has no previous convictions.

Sentence: Five years in prison

Connor William Beddows

Beddows, of Townhill, Swansea. The defendant was 21 at the time of the riot, and is now 22.

Beddows was one of those who took the Vauxhall Astra to the scene of the disturbance, and at one stage was seen with a cigarette lighter in his hand. The court heard the defendant then stayed in the area and watched the violence the police were subsequently subjected to.

Sentence: Four years and three months in prison

William Patrick Smolden

Smolden, of Eigen Crescent, Mayhill, Swansea.

The defendant was 23 years old at the time, and is now 24. Smolden was “cheering” as a stolen Vauxhall Frontera was driven dangerously through the streets of Mayhill in the early stages of the disturbance, and seen encouraging others present to push the Vauxhall Astra down Waun Wen Road hill. He was then seen shouting and swearing threateningly at police and “inciting” others to attack officers, though the court accepted he had not actually thrown any objects himself.

Sentence: Three-and-a-half years in prison

Joshua Mark Cullen

Cullen, from Mayhill, Swansea. Cullen was 30 at the time of the riot, and is now 32. Cullen was part of the crowd who smashed up the Vauxhall Astra, and threw bricks at the car after it had been rolled down Waun Wen Hill and set on fire outside Adam Romain’s house. Judge Thomas said Cullen was “in the vanguard” of the attack on the police and was part of the group which forced a riot van to retreat after it came under attack from bricks and stones – Cullen then “mocked” the police as they withdrew.

Cullen has no previous convictions.

Sentence: Five years and six months in prison

Michael Dean Parsons

Parsons, of Dyfatty, Swansea. He is aged 37. Judge Thomas told Parson he was one of the older of the people involved, and “played a leading role in the violence and disturbance”. He said for two hours the defendant had been “in the thick of events” and at one stage had been seen holding a young child aloft on his shoulders, something the judge called “grotesque”. The court heard Parsons then threw stones in the direction of Mr Romain’s house, and was “heavily involved” in the subsequent attack on the police including throwing multiple objects at officers from close quarters.

Parsons has previous convictions for public order matters, affray, robbery, and assault.

Sentence: Six years and three months in prison

Paul Jones

Jones, of Mayhill, Swansea.

Jones was 43 at the time of the riot, and is now 45. The court heard Jones was “complicit” in obtaining a stolen Vauxhall Frontera which was then driven dangerously around the streets of Mayhill in the early stages of the disorder, and was involved in wheelspinning cars which “inflamed” the crowd.

The judge noted that Jones lived on Waun Wen Road, the main focus of the rioting, and had his grandchildren in his property at the time he was out on the streets taking part in the riot.

Sentence: Four years and six months in prison

Jahanzaib Malik

Malik, of Brynhyfryd, Swansea. Malik, was 20 at the time, and is now 21. Judge Thomas said Malik was “deeply involved” in setting up the gathering, discussing the event on social media and talking about taking “toys” – cars and bikes – to the scene and “lighting up” Mayhill.

The defendant was seen riding on the bonnet of the stolen Frontera as it was driven around Mayhill and later helped to set the Ford Ka on fire including handing fireworks to others who were torching the vehicle. The judge said Malik was outside Mr Romain’s house as the father tried to defend his home and family, and at one stage mockingly gave Mr Romain the thumbs up gesture. Malik was then “encouraging the mob by shouting and throwing stones”.

At the time of the riot, Malik was on bail having been arrested for drug dealing in the Mount Pleasant area of Swansea – he is currently serving a prison sentence for that matter. The judge said the sentence riot would be adjusted downward to take account of the fact the defendant is currently serving a custodial sentence, a sentencing principle known as “totality”.

Sentence: Four years in prison

Aaron Robert David Phillips

Phillips, of Gendros, Swansea. Phillips was 22 when he took part in the riot, and is now aged 24. On the morning of the riot Phillips and a man called Kye Dennis travelled to Carmarthen to buy a Vauxhall Astra which was not in a roadworthy condition and they transported it to the Mayhill area on the back of a lorry – the judge said Phillips did this knowing the vehicle was to be used for anti-social purposes that evening. Phillips was subsequently involved in trying to set fire to the Astra before it was rolled down Waun Wen Road hill where it crashed into Adam Romain’s car outside his house.

Phillips has previous convictions for 76 offences. Mr Dennis was found not guilty of involvement in the riot at a trial in September.

Sentence: Six years and three months in prison

Ryan Lee Owen

Owen, of Portmead, Swansea. The defendant is 20 now, and was 19 at the time of the riot. Owen was one of a number of men who bought the Ford Ka as scrap from a seller on Baptist Well Street in Waun Wen on the day of the riot – the judge said when the defendant did this he knew the vehicle was going to be used for “mischievous purposes”. Owen also handed fireworks to a fellow defendant Kian Hurley who threw them into the burning Ka.

At the time of the riot Owen was on bail having been arrested over an attack on boys on the street in Mumbles – an offence he was subsequently given a suspended sentence for – and in February this year he was sentenced to 18 months detention in a young offenders’ institution for inflicting grievous bodily harm after breaking a woman’s jaw at a party.

Sentence: Four years detention in a young offenders institution

Tyrone Anthony Lee Langan

Langan, from Brynhyfryd, Swansea. The defendant was aged 27 at the time of the riot, and is now 28. Langan was one of those who collected the Ka “for antisocial purposes”, and was involved in wheel-spinning cars in the early stages of the disorder before joining the rioters who were trying to set fire to the crashed Astra outside Adam Romain’s house on Waun Wen Road.

Langan has previous convictions for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and for affray, and at the time of the riot was on bail for an offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, an offence he is currently serving a sentence for.

Sentence: Five years and three months in prison

Mitchell Bryce Meredith

Meredith, of Port Tennant, Swansea. Meredith was 18 at the time of the riot and is now 20. Judge Thomas said the defendant was “as central as anybody” in the riot, and used a rag to set fire to the Vauxhall Astra outside Adam Romain’s house before throwing a large object – likely a bollard – at the burning car. Meredith then threw a brick through the front window of Mr Romain’s house in what the judge said was “arguably the single most shocking event” of the night. The judge said the defendant had been “a major rabble rouser” during the riot.

At the time of the disturbance the defendant was on bail for a series of assaults on his partner which had seen him slapping, grabbing, and strangling the woman and breaking her nose. He committed further offences after being arrested in connection with the riot.

Sentence: Five years and four months detention for riot and five years for arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered to be served concurrently, and eight months for the domestic assault to be served consecutively making an overall sentence of six years detention in a young offenders institution.

Keiron Argent

Argent, from Townhill, Swansea, Argent is now 18 and was 17 at the time of the riot. Argent was involved in throwing stones at police officers positioned at the bottom of Waun Wen Road in the early stages of the disturbance, and was part of the crowd outside Mr Romain’s house filming some of the events on his phone. When on bail for the riot matter he by chance encountered Mr Romain who had been rehoused elsewhere in Swansea having moved out of his Waun Wen Road home with his family – Argent proceeded to threaten and insult Mr Romain, and make gun gestures towards him.

The defendant was not present for his sentencing, there having been an outbreak of Covid in the prison cell where he was being held on remark – his family and his advocate told the court they were happy for the teenager to be sentenced in his absence. In passing sentence, the judge said he was taking into account that the defendant was about to become a father.

Sentence: Two years and eight months for riot and six months for witness intimidation to run consecutively making an overall sentence of three years and two months in a young offenders institution. Argent was also made the subject of a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting Mr Romain.

Keiran Smith

Smith, of Creidiol Road, Mayhill, Swansea. Smith was 18 at the time of the offending, and is now 20. The defendant kicked and stamped on Ford Ka as it was being torched, threw stones, helped to damage the Vauxhall Astra, and followed the Astra after it had been rolled down Waun Wen Road.

Smith later threw missiles at police officers and vehicles from close quarters, and “taunted” the officers as they came under attack. Smith has no previous convictions.

Sentence: Four years detention in a young offenders institution

Ryan James Sarsfield

Sarsfield, of Mayhill, Swansea. The defendant was 24 at the time of the riot and is now 26. Judge Thomas said Sarsfield was “heavily involved” in the early stages of the riot, helping to kick and damage the Ka and the Astra, and then following the Astra as it was rolled down Waun Wen Road. The judge told Sarsfield he had been living on the street when the riot took place and had helped to “trash your own street”.

Sarsfield was subject to a suspended prison sentence at the time of the riot, and while on bail and being investigated for his involvement in the disturbance hit a woman on the back of the head with a bottle following an altercation on Swansea’s High Street – though the judge accepted the woman the defendant struck been carrying a knife.

Sentence: Four years for the riot and three months for assault occasioning actual bodily harm for the bottle attack to run consecutively making an overall sentence of four years and three months in prison.

Kian Hurley

Hurley, of Mayhill, Swansea. Hurley was 23 at the time of the riot, and is 24 now. The defendant threw a box of fireworks into the already burning Ford Ka on Waun Wen Road, and was “actively encouraging” others to damage the Ka and the Astra before throwing stones at the police. Judge Thomas said Hurley had filmed some of the disorder on his phone and it was clear he had “celebrated and exalted in” the violence and destruction, even at one stage posing for a selfie “with a broad smile” on his face.

Hurley had entered a basis of plea to his plea of guilty which was not accepted by the prosecution, and so he was the only defendant to have a hearing called a Newton hearing to establish the facts. Giving evidence from the witness box he said he did not know the object he threw into the burning car were fireworks, and had just turned and ran away after doing so because everyone else had turned and ran. He also claimed he had only thrown stones at the police because he was upset at them for leaving the area and not coming to help residents including his mother, whose house was close to the burning Astra. Judge Thomas described the version of events given by the defendant as risible, and said it was clear from Hurley’s performance in the witness box that he had shown no real remorse. The defendant has a previous conviction for robbery committed when he was a youth.

Sentence: Six years and nine months in prison – the defendant only had a 10 per cent discount for his guilty plea as he was unsuccessful at the Newton hearing and so his credit was halved.

Dean David Price

rice, of Joseph Davies Close, Waun Wen, Swansea. Price was 39 at the time of the riot, and is now aged 41. The court heard the defendant was involved in damaging both the Ka and the Astra, and made repeated – though unsuccessful – attempts to ignite them with a cigarette lighter. Judge Thomas said the defendant’s actions had “significantly escalated the situation”, and had “heightened” the crowd’s reactions.

Price has multiple previous convictions for affray as well as for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, inflicting grievous bodily harm, and assaulting emergency workers. At the time of the riot he was on post-release supervision after being released from a sentence for assaulting three emergency workers. In 2017 he was sentenced for attempted theft of a car and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after punching a dad and trying to take his car as terrified children screamed on the back seat.

Sentence: Five years and six months in prison

Speaking after the sentencing, South Wales Police detective inspector Gareth Jones said: “This was violence of an extreme nature and was a calculated defiance of the law and a deliberate attack on the police that attended. The numbers involved caused real fear to the local residents who witnessed the events or whose property was damaged during the course of the disorder.

“Several factors have contributed to the success of this investigation and prosecution. Members of the public made witness statements and many more sent us mobile phone or door cam footage. The investigation that followed was thorough and meticulous and resulted in the evidence being presented in a way that compelled the court to convict these individuals. The sentences handed out to these individuals reflect the severity of what they did last May. They joined together, armed with weapons, sticks and bricks and spared no thought for residents or the potentially fatal consequences that could have occurred.

“I am pleased to say that justice has been served and I hope the sentences issued today will give those who were intent on being part of the disorder plenty of time to reflect on what they did.”

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