Rioters sentenced for Swansea violence

Twenty-six people have been sentenced for a large-scale disturbance in Swansea.

The riot happened on 20 May 2021 when a large group of people had gathered in the Mayhill area of Swansea for a vigil, but some started to throw missiles and damage personal property and housing.  

Bystanders recorded the disturbance on their mobile phones which showed people setting fire to cars, rolling vehicles down hills, setting fire to housing and attacking the emergency service vehicles.  

Gareth James of the CPS said: “This must have been a terrifying incident for the residents of Mayhill.  The footage recorded on the night paints a shocking picture. 

“The CPS provided early advice to the police, building a strong case resulting in 26 offenders pleading guilty when we presented the evidence.”

The defendants were sentenced as follows:

1. Paul Jones (24/7/1977) – 4.5 years' imprisonment
2. Dean Price (28/7/1981) – 5 years and 6 months
3. Michael Parsons (11/01/1985) – 6 years and 3 months
4. Ryan Sarsfield (18/08/1996) – 4 years and 3 months
5. William Smolden (20/12/1997) – 3 years and 6 months
6. Aaron Phillips (18/09/1998) – 6 years and 3 months
7. Kian Hurley (01/04/1998) – 6 years and 9 months
8. Ryan Owen (28/11/2001) – 4 years
9. Joshua Cullen (01/08/1990) – 5 years and 6 months
10. Niamh Cullen (12/04/2003) – 2 years and 8 months in a Young Offenders Institution (YOI)
11. Tyrone Langan (14/08/1994) – 5 years and 3 months
12. Connor Beddows (18/01/2000) – 4 years and 3 months
13. Christopher Munslow (11/07/1999) – 3.5 years
14. Mitchell Meredith (05/09/2002) – 6 years YOI 
15. Keiron Argent (23/01/2004) – 3 years and 2 months YOI
16. Jahanzaib Malik (25/12/2000) - 4 years
17. Keiran Smith (22/10/2002) – 4 years YOI
18. Lewis James (10/5/2001) – 5 years

There were also four youths sentenced who cannot be named for legal reasons.