Two people have admitted rioting following the deaths of two teenagers in an e-bike crash in Cardiff.
Jamie Jones, 24, and Lianna Tucker, 19, have admitted to the charge of riot in the Ely area of Cardiff in 2023. They initially denied the offence but changed their plea at a hearing before Merthyr Crown Court on Friday.
The unrest started after the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, on the evening of 22 May 2023.
The two boys crashed on an e-bike minutes after CCTV captured them being followed by a South Wales Police van.
Initial social media rumours that claimed the teenagers were being chased by police – though this was denied at the time by the force.
A riot followed and lasted several hours, with dozens of officers injured, property damaged, and cars set alight.
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, released Jones and Tucker on bail ahead of sentencing, with a provisional date set for 22 December.
More than 40 people have been charged in connection with the incident.
Because of the large number of defendants, the court has divided the trial into three separate parts, with the first scheduled to begin on September 22.
It was announced in April that a police officer who was driving the van that followed the two teenagers shortly before they died would not be prosecuted.
The officer was facing a dangerous driving allegation, but prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.
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South Wales Police said none of its vehicles were in Snowden Road at the time of the crash.
But police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later confirmed launched an investigation after a video appeared to show them being followed by a van – without blue lights or a siren – minutes before the incident.
Other footage, however, showed the van turn off, and it wasn’t following the boys at the time of the collision.
A key issue under review was whether the officers’ actions in the van at any point amounted to an official pursuit.
A second investigation was also opened by the IOPC into issues including police management of the crash scene and treatment of the families.
The watchdog says that investigation is close to concluding.
