Their crimes alone would be frightening enough. But the very public nature of some of these incidents only serve to render them even more disturbing.
Like watching rival gangs of hammer and knife-wielding men set about themselves in the middle of a cemetery in broad daylight, for example. Or being in the middle of busy high street and witnessing the man standing nearby pull out a blade and fatally stab a random stranger right in front of you.
These are some of the crimes which have occurred in the last 12 months which have shown our streets in their most lawless light. However, all those involved have since been brought to justice.
READ MORE: Inquests opened into deaths of three young people killed in Cardiff car crash
Warring families fight at funeral
Mourners were left terrified after a large running battle took place in a cemetery between gangs of men armed with knives, bats, hammers and hooks. The "horrendous" incident at Swansea's Morriston Cemetery happened last August as rival factions of an extended family clashed during a graveside blessing - which you can see unfold in the above dashcam video.
Vehicles were also used as weapons during the disturbance and were driven at speed around the site, churning up grass and damaging a number of gravestones. At one point mourners attending a funeral at the cemetery had to run to their cars for safety.
The men responsible, aged between 18 and 58, were given an assortment of sentences at Swansea Crown Court last month, ranging from three years in jail to lengthy detention time in young offenders' institutions. You can read the full list of punishments here.
Mayhill yobs read the riot act
The rioting in the Mayhill area of Swansea last May sickened an entire nation. What was supposed to be a peaceful vigil for a local teenager who had died turned violent.
With the rioters ranging from school children to men in their 40s, the level of the disturbance saw local residents cowering for their lives as the doors and windows of their homes were smashed and their vehicles torched just feet away.
Several of those families affected have since either left the region to live elsewhere or are currently in the process of moving. The faces and names of the people who have been locked up for their role in the Mayhill riots were release by police last December - click here for the full rogues' gallery.
Man attacked the mother of his young child in a packed shopping centre
In May last year Ricky Morris committed a "vicious and unprovoked" assault on the mother of his five-week-old son in the middle of Swansea city centre because he didn't like the name she had chosen for their child. The 31-year-old set upon former partner Jodie Harris as she was out shopping in the city's Plymouth Street with the child in a pushchair.
In a statement read out in Swansea Magistrates Court Ms Harris said the pair had engaged in a lot of drug use together and described the relationship as the "worst time of her life." During the very public argument Morris punched Ms Harris twice in the face, as a result of which she had to go to hospital.
CCTV footage of the assault from a nearby business showed members of the public intervening and rushing out of shops to assist. Admitting actual bodily harm, Morris was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison and given a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his victim for two years.
Swansea knifeman stabbed stranger in top tourist spot
A court recently heard how a 27-year-old paranoid schizophrenic named Tedi Fanta travelled from Swansea to London and killed a complete stranger in what was dubbed a "ferocious" knife attack. Fanta - a refugee from Eritrea - jumped onto 60-year-old retired civil servant Stephen Dempsey from behind in the middle of Oxford Street back in July, 2021.
Two passing skateboarders leapt into action and hit the defendant with their boards in a bid to disarm him, the Old Bailey was told. However, Mr Dempsey, who suffered four knife wounds, died in hospital later that night.
On bail at the time of the attack after earlier brandishing a saw in Swansea, Fanta was described by the judge as "a very ill young man" who had "slipped through the system unnoticed, untreated and very dangerous." He was handed an indefinite hospital order.
Thugs attacked random man on busy street
Three thugs chased and viciously attacked a random passer-by on a busy Swansea street in the middle of the afternoon last September. The victim was then slashed with a hunting knife.
At one stage the man sought refuge in a shop - but the shopkeeper refused his pleas for help and put him back on the street to take his chances with his knife-wielding assailants. Two of the attackers then went home to change their clothes before returning to the nearby pub at which they'd been drinking beforehand.
Ryan Foyle, Ashton Levi Jones and Dylan John Rhys Griffiths all pleaded guilty and were given jail time in November, 2022. Full story here.
Drug addict punched cop and threatened another with broken bottle
Heroin addict Jonathon Morgans punched an off-duty police officer in the face and threatened him and his friend with a broken bottle in Cardiff city centre. Nevertheless, the victims chased after him and tackled him to the ground before police arrived following the incident last June.
During the melee Morgans was also approached by a woman who hit him with her bag, causing him to drop the bottle and run off. He later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and threatening a person with an offensive weapon.
Morgans received 54 weeks imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.
Road rage driver deliberately veered towards runners
A woman with "road rage" drove at two runners on a busy road and told police: "Those people shouldn't be jogging down roads." The victims had to quickly move out of the car's path to avoid being hit.
Lauren Goddard, 38, shouted and beeped at the runners while driving along the B4524 in Ogmore-by-Sea, Bridgend, on March 14, 2021. She veered her Peugeot 807 towards one man who had to step out of the way to avoid being hit. She then mounted a grass verge in pursuit of another. The defendant, from Penarth, denied the offences but was later found guilty of two counts of dangerous driving following a trial.
She also pleaded guilty to assault by beating and assaulting an emergency worker – offences which took place last September. Goddard was sentenced to a total of 18 months imprisonment and disqualified from driving for a total of two years and nine months. More here.
Car driven on promenade and pedestrians assaulted
Back in October, 2019, pedestrians were forced to dodge a car which had been driven onto the promenade in Aberystwyth in the early hours of one Saturday morning. Swansea Crown Court last year heard heard how Jack Smith, Darren Dragoonis and Richard Allen had been fighting near the town's Royal Pier prior to the incident, during which one woman was punched and hit on the head with a piece of wood.
Others who'd been out socialising in the vicinity were also attacked after the car mounted the pavement and was seen weaving in and out of benches and parked vehicles. One man who'd approached the vehicle received a one inch cut above his right eyebrow, a small cut to his nose and suffered concussion.
The trio inside later pleaded guilty to causing an affray, while Smith also admitted a further charge of possessing class B drugs. In addition, Allen admitted a further charge of damaging property. All three men were given suspended prison sentences and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Read the full report here.
Man in city centre tent stabbed in neck
A drug dealer stabbed a man in the neck in a tent outside a Cardiff homeless centre. After the murder, he bought a radio and a book and told police, "I am ready to go to jail."
Steven White, 44, pleaded guilty in June last year to murdering Jordan Cody outside the Huggard Centre in November, 2021. Mr Cody sustained a catastrophic stab wound to the right side of his neck which caused him to bleed to death on the pavement. The incident was caught on CCTV.
A judge at Cardiff Crown Court sentenced White to life imprisonment with a minimum of 26 years. Read more here.
Road worker stabbed by man in 'revenge attack'
A road worker was stabbed in the arm by a man who felt slighted after he walked through a barricaded area and was told to leave. He initially had to be restrained on the ground by one of the workers, only to return to the scene with a knife.
Sam Wagner, 23, attacked Corey Janes with the weapon which pierced his right forearm during the incident in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, on August 18 last year. Mr Janes had been working with his father, Alan Janes, when the defendant threatened them, having been told to leave the area where they were working.
Wager was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment, with an extended licence period of two years and six months. He will serve at least two thirds of the custodial sentence before he is considered for parole. He was also made subject to a restraining order for 15 years.
Love rival stabbed by man after telling him he had slept with his girlfriend
A love rival was stabbed by a man with a kitchen knife after he revealed he was having an affair with his girlfriend. The assault was witnessed by a large crowd of neighbours.
Ian Wakeham, 38, wounded Darren Atkins with the weapon at a block of flats in Cardiff on New Year's Day, leaving the victim with six stab wounds. Wakeham was sentenced to a total of 24 months imprisonment.
CCTV captured sickening moment cousins kicked and stamped on man's head
Two cousins viciously assaulted a man by kicking and stamping on his head after they felt "disrespected" by him. They walked away leaving their victim unconscious on the floor as two women came to assist him.
Luke Carvalho, 21, and Daeshaun Webbe, 20, assaulted Scott Thomas in Newport city centre at around 5.15am on August 21 last year. He suffered a bloody nose, swelling, a wound to his right ear where a piercing had been ripped out and footmarks to his chest and shoulders.
The defendants were sentenced to 22 months imprisonment each. They will serve half of the sentence in custody before being released on licence.
Man left bleeding heavily assault with metal bar
A man was left bleeding heavily from the head in a Swansea doorway after a brutal early-morning attack carried out by two men - one of whom was armed with a metal bar. The incident happened outside the YMCA building in Swansea city centre on the morning of July 10.
At around 5am an argument broke out between Daniel George Croft, Joshua Morris and their victim, Darren Thomas. After a verbal altercation Mr Thomas was then assaulted by both men who kicked and stamped on him.
Croft was jailed for nine years for grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon, plus three years on an extended licence. Morris was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for grievous bodily harm with intent.
Grandad suffered bleed on brain after violent street attack
A family's life was "turned upside down" by a violent street attack which left a husband, father and grandfather with brain injuries. The victim was attacked during "chaotic" scenes in Swansea city centre as cousins James Hudd and William Thomas fought with members of his family.
During the brawl, Hudd punched the man to the ground leading to a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and a stroke. The full sentencing can be found here.
Rugby player punched man unconscious in street
A man had his head smashed against a wall by a powerful punch which left him lying incapacitated on the pavement. Rugby player Sonny Dolan, of Heol-y-Llwynau, Trebanos, attacked his victim after an earlier confrontation involving a number of young men in a pub toilet.
A witness to the October, 2021, assault told Swansea Crown Court last April that someone with Dolan had been overheard shouting: "Come on Sonny, you've killed him - let's go." A shirtless Dolan then ran away when police arrived and was later found hiding in a garden. You can read the full story here.
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