Crown Prosecution Service authorises further charges relating to Ely riots
A further 11 individuals have been charged with offences relating to the public disorder in Ely, Cardiff, that took place in May 2023.
Jenny Hopkins, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised South Wales Police to charge a further 11 defendants with the offence of riot.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against these people are now active and that they have a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
The 10 adults and one youth will appear before Cardiff Magistrates’ and Youth Court on Wednesday, 22 January 2025.
The defendants are:
- Liam Black (DOB 30/10/2004) of Ely
- Cameron Francis Carter (DOB 10/08/2005) of Ely
- Liam Williams (DOB 22/02/2005) of Rumney
- Gemma Marie Virgin (DOB 05/02/1981) of Ely
- Lee-Martin McQuade (DOB 08/02/1996) of Ely
- Malaki McQuade (DOB 16/09/2006) of Ely
- Jamie Stephen Bateman (DOB 27/04/1998) of Caerau
- James Chappell (DOB 04/04/1995) of Barry
- Jasmine Smith (DOB 28/05/2005) of Heath
- Tyler Stapleton (25/02/2000) of Ely
The youth defendant (aged 17) cannot be named for legal reasons.
All 11 defendants are charged with the offence of riot, and 31 defendants have previously been charged.
Notes to editors
- Jenny Hopkins is the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales.
- The review of the evidence was carried out in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
- Any decision by the CPS does not imply any finding concerning guilt or criminal conduct; the CPS makes decisions only according to the test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it is applied in all decisions on whether or not to prosecute.
- It is not the function of the CPS to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.
- The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
- This assessment is based on the evidence available arising out of the police investigation and not on the evidence that is likely to be gathered by the defence, and likely to be used to test the prosecution evidence. The CPS charging decision is therefore necessarily an assessment on the basis of the evidence that is available to the CPS at the time the decision is made.
- CPS prosecutors must also keep every case under review, so that they take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as the case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. If appropriate, the CPS may change the charges or stop a case.