Shocking mobile phone and police bodycam footage has been released which shows the violence and destruction that scarred a Swansea community during the May'hill riot. What should have been a peaceful vigil for a local teenager who died suddenly became a riot which saw cars trashed and torched, homes attacked, and police officers and vehicles pelted with bricks, stones, bottles, poles, and even garden furniture.
On Monday 18 people were jailed at Swansea Crown Court for their parts in last May's disturbance - you can read our live coverage of the sentencing hearing here. Sending the defendants to prison judge Paul Thomas KC said the death of a young man was "shamelessly and cynically hijacked for the purposes of criminal mischief" and the riot which ensued "was not born of discontent but by a desire for mass entertainment."
Read more: The faces of the hooded rioters who brought carnage to Mayhill unmasked for the first time
The rioters ranged in ages from schoolboys to men in their 40s. Judge Thomas said: "The whole horrendous business lasted over two hours. This was not a momentary flashpoint but a sustained and extremely violent episode of civil disorder. Those responsible for sparking it made no attempt to control the mob that they had unleashed. Middle aged men joined in with youths.
"Three cars were set alight. Ten vehicles, half of them police vehicles, were damaged. The cost of repair to police vehicles alone was in excess of £23,000. Three members of the public were struck by missiles. Six police officers were injured... 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".
You can see the faces of the rioters and the sentences they received here.
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