Authenticity and the performance of ordinariness are increasingly attractive elements of a political candidate’s brand. Social media particularly can be a space to present the “no-filter self” using more casual language, posting images and videos of everyday situations and using emojis or memes – just like the average person would.

In terms of authenticity, at election times, being ordinary, approachable and in touch are seen as potential vote-winning attributes. In Canada’s 2025 election, for example, research has found that these strategies were seen as necessary to stop the candidates coming across as out of touch at a time when politicians might seem to be a breed apart.

This approach has been particularly effective for populist candidates. These political hopefuls often market themselves as anti-elitist outsiders, in keeping with their claim to be the true representatives of the people.

But whether authenticity is a performance or actually the unfiltered self is up for debate. In the Makerfield byelection, the latter appears to be case for Reform UK’s candidate, Robert Kenyon. His appearance on a special edition of the BBC’s Question Time on June 4 might have seemed unpolished, but it perhaps reflected a true performance of self.

Comments under a selection of excerpts of Kenyon on the programme, posted by the Reform UK account to YouTube, were very positive. Viewers described Kenyon as “sincere”, “no fluff, tells it like it is” and praised him as “a northern lad … says it as it is and not afraid to be challenged”.

The comments, although presumably from a supportive audience, suggest viewers felt Kenyon believed in what he said and spoke without a filter or script. Even when challenged on how some policies would be delivered, his response – that it was for the leadership to work out – had a ring of honesty. While Kenyon was challenged over historic tweets of a sexist nature, his choice of defence here was to highlight his ordinariness.

In another interview, Kenyon stated he is not a “career politician”. But he added that if he were Makerfield’s MP “people would feel like they had a voice now, whereas in the last 40 years they’ve not”. Excusing his “crass” social media posts, he argued that he is just “a local lad” and “not a polished professional”.

This framing is indicative of someone who believes sections of the electorate would be sympathetic to his argument – even if they find the content inappropriate.

‘Looked down on and left behind’

Like Hannah Spencer, who won the nearby constituency of Gorton and Denton for the Green party in a byelection in February 2026, Kenyon is a plumber. Spencer spoke about marginalised groups, including the white working class, in her maiden speech in the Commons, offering a sense of authentic representation.

She said: “I do know is what it feels like to be looked down on. To be let down and left behind. To be less worthy because of something about me.” Kenyon seems to be channelling similar notions of standing up for society’s underdogs on the basis that he is one of them, rather than a career politician.

Spencer and Kenyon, and their appeal to voters, partly represents something of a societal shift. The argument is that as more “ordinary” people become prominent – for example, as celebrities and influencers through mainstream and social media – they are viewed as more trustworthy. Elite figures, on the other hand, are seen as more remote.

The populist turn in politics is an equivalent phenomenon. Many people feel democracy is not working for them and that their elected representatives do not share their struggles. Even worse, some believe that those dominating political institutions are self-seeking and remote. Fieldwork, especially in post-industrial working-class areas has uncovered a rejection of mainstream politicians and a desire for so-called common-sense voices.

Demographically, Makerfield is similar (albeit with lower relative deprivation) than many of the red-wall seats where Reform and its antecedent parties have polled well. The area faces challenges due to years of austerity and the cost of living.

Many voters there may well share the notion that most politicians are out of touch. This explains why some perceive Kenyon’s rival Andy Burnham as a strong candidate to hold the seat for Labour, given his local roots and unashamedly working-class persona.

But when true ordinariness is held up as offering a more authentic sense of representation, Kenyon may well be seen as the true voice of the people. After all, Burnham – for all his popularity in Greater Manchester and his working-class background – has been a career politician for 25 years. These days, the voices of ordinary people are heard across social media and can even dominate the news agenda and shape policy. Kenyon – and Reform – will be hoping to ride the demand for authentic representation and cause a major upset on June 18.

The launch comes after new research revealed that almost three-quarters of Britons (73%) believe their best holidays were never planned at all, while nearly half say they would be packed and ready to leave within two days if the right deal landed in their lap.

A growing number of Brits are abandoning carefully planned holidays in favour of spur-of-the-moment getaways – and easyJet has just launched a new feature designed to make that easier than ever.

And it appears many travellers are already embracing the trend.

In a stunt that quickly went viral online, Capital Breakfast presenter Sian Welby shocked listeners when she left her live radio show after spotting a bargain easyJet fare she couldn’t resist.

The broadcaster continued presenting from the back of a taxi as she headed for the airport, with clips from the moment racking up thousands of views across social media.

Flights are available here.

The nation’s most common holiday killer is the group chat

Around a third of people said they had missed out on a trip entirely because friends could not agree on plans quickly enough.

To help travellers act fast, easyJet’s new tool adds a “Within 48 Hours” filter to its Inspire Me platform, allowing customers to search destinations by budget, travel dates and trip type.

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The airline says the feature is designed to help holidaymakers discover destinations they may not have previously considered while taking advantage of ultra-last-minute deals.

For travellers needing inspiration, easyJet highlights Barcelona, Amsterdam, Nice, Lisbon and Milan among its top spontaneous city-break destinations this summer.

With flights available from less than £50, the biggest question may no longer be where to go – but whether you’re ready to drop everything and leave.

Would you go on a last-minute holiday? Tell us in the comments below.

The rollout will begin at four locations to start —one Express store and three larger supermarkets—before expanding to around 3,000 UK locations over the next two years.

Supplied by Chinese technology firm Hanshow, the digital labels will allow Tesco to update prices and product details instantly from its central office.

Kevin Tindall, managing director of UK operations at Tesco, said: “Moving to a digital system will not only support our sustainability ambitions by significantly reducing paper use across the Tesco estate, but it will also mean that our colleagues can focus on what matters most – serving our customers.”

The technology aims to improve pricing accuracy for customers and reduce manual tasks for staff.

The decision follows a successful pilot at Tesco’s Royston and St Neots stores last year.

Electronic shelf labels are already in use among several UK supermarkets, including Asda, Lidl, Co-op, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.

Morrisons began its trial of the technology in October last year, and Sainsbury’s started rolling out the labels after its own pilot last summer.

Tesco plans to introduce the labels gradually, updating stores as it refreshes its pricing systems.

Liangyan Li, senior vice president and head of global sales at Hanshow, said the partnership shows a shared commitment to improving store efficiency.

Recommended reading:

How to get Tesco freebies

Anyone wanting a chance to receive the offers needs to have a Tesco Clubcard and use the Tesco app.

More than 24 million UK households already have a Clubcard, giving them access to personalised discounts, reward partners and exclusive promotions.

With free products set to drop every Thursday, shoppers may want to keep a close eye on their app over the next few weeks.

What’s your favourite supermarket? Let us know in the comments

The budget supermarket is launching a limited-edition book, The Very Late Caterpillar, to celebrate the belated launch of its Cooper the Caterpillar Cake. 

Rival supermarkets have their own versions of the iconic caterpillar celebration cake, including M&S and its Colin the Caterpillar Cake and Aldi and its Cuthbert the Caterpillar Cake.

Until now, Lidl has been the odd one out, but not for much longer.

Lidl is joining several of its rival supermarkets in launching its own version of a caterpillar cake (Image: Lidl)

Lidl launches Cooper the Caterpillar Cake and it’s free for some customers

Revealing why Lidl’s caterpillar cake has taken so long to arrive, the book will be available for free via the website from 10am on Friday, June 19. 

Lidl said the book reveals Cooper’s whereabouts of late, from strutting the London Fashion Week cat(erpillar) walk to revelling in gnat summer – with a spot of Midgerton binge watching in-between.

Customers with a book will receive a Lidl Plus voucher code to claim a free caterpillar cake from stores nationwide.

Caterpillar cakes have been popular and caused a stir for years, and now Lidl’s, which consists of a sponge roll filled with chocolate buttercream and covered in milk chocolate, will be available to buy from this week.

From Friday, Lidl’s Cooper the Caterpillar Cake will be available to buy in stores nationwide for £6.99.

The history of Lidl

Cooper the Caterpillar said: “Time…flies… when you’re having fun.

“I know I’m a little late to the party but I can’t say I’ve met another grub that’s walked London Fashion Week or became the unlikely face of Gnat Summer.

“To make up for keeping everyone waiting, I wanted to share my debut novel of how I wriggled my way to Lidl.

“You know what they say, it’s about the journey not the destination… and I’ve certainly taken the scenic route.”

What caterpillar cakes are available to buy?

Several UK supermarkets have their own version of the caterpillar cake:

• M&S – Colin the Caterpillar
• Aldi – Cuthbert the Caterpillar
• Co-op – Charlie the Caterpillar
• Morrisons – Morris the Caterpillar
• Sainsbury’s – Wiggles the Caterpillar
• Waitrose – Cecil the Caterpillar
• Tesco – Slinky the Caterpillar
• Asda – Letty the Caterpillar

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What happened in M&S and Aldi’s caterpillar cake row?

M&S took Aldi to court for what became a long-running legal dispute in which the former accused the discounter of copying Colin with its “Cuthbert” product.

An undisclosed settlement eventually reached by the two grocers did not deter Aldi from going on to release an ad in which it announced it was “like M&S, only cheaper” and showed rival caterpillar cakes Cuthbert and Colin breaking into a scuffle at a party.

Will you be trying the new Cooper the Caterpillar Cake from Lidl? Tell us in the comments below.

The jury of seven men and five women heard fifteen days of evidence in the case

Closing submissions have begun in the trial of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and the trial of the facts of his wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson.

Sir Jeffrey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences. Lady Eleanor, 60, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending.

She is facing a trial of the facts on mental health grounds. The trial of the facts will test the evidence in the case, but cannot result in a criminal conviction.

The jury of seven men and five women heard fifteen days of evidence in the case, including evidence from Complainant A and B, Complainant A’s husband, David and Linda Hoy from the Armoy Family Centre and their daughter, Laura Claire Selfridge, alongside evidence from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, himself.

Day 1 – Tuesday 26th May

Donaldson arrived at Newry Crown Court for day one of his trial. He entered the courthouse, where jury selection got underway.

He was met by his solicitor, John McBurney, who accompanied him into the court building. Police had erected metal barriers at the court entrance prior to his arrival to cordon off the waiting media.

At the start of proceedings, Donaldson replied “yes” when asked by trial judge Paul Ramsey if he was ready for his trial. He then sat in the dock with his arms crossed, flanked by two court staff, while the process of jury selection began.

READ MORE HERE: Jury in Jeffrey Donaldson sexual offences trial sworn in

Day 2 – Wednesday 27th May

Wednesday’s hearing was delayed until after lunch amid legal discussions. The court heard that two complainants had come forward to police more than two years ago and reported “difficult and traumatic incidents they say happened when they were children”.

Complainant B told police that she had been sexually abused when she was a child and that she remembered two incidents “vividly”.

In the first alleged incident, she told the police that Jeffrey Donaldson had put his hands down her underwear, pulled her legs apart and then sexually assaulted her.

In the second incident, she told police that Donaldson had lifted her top and started to touch her breasts.

Complainant A also made a statement to the police in March 2024. She alleged that Donaldson touched her on a number of occasions under her top when she was a child.

She told police that touching her had become something he had “done quite often”.

She told police that Donaldson would make comments about her appearance, including the size of her breasts. She recalled one incident where she claimed that Donaldson had been “looking at her private parts”.

Donaldson said it was “unbelievable” that he would have touched Complainant B in a sexual way. He denied that he ever rubbed Complainant A’s breast.

READ MORE HERE: Women claim Jeffrey Donaldson subjected them to ‘difficult and traumatic incidents’ when children

Day 3 – Thursday 28th May

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The video of a police interview with Complainant A from March 2024, weeks before the Donaldsons were arrested, was played to the jury of seven men and five women. In the interview, the complainant said she had been of primary school age when Donaldson began to be “physical” with her.

She said from primary school age, Donaldson had put his hand up her top – and this “happened for quite a while”. She said she remembered a “significant event” when she was a young teenager, when Donaldson “perched” over the top of her and had looked at her “private parts”. She said on another occasion, Donaldson kissed her and put his tongue in her mouth.

The court was told that Donaldson wrote a letter to one of the alleged victims expressing “regret” for “all the hurt, pain and distress I have caused.” Prosecuting barrister Rosemary Walsh KC read out a letter which Complainant A said had been written to her by Jeffrey Donaldson in June 2020.

Under cross-examination by Donaldson’s barrister, complainant A told the trial that she had been sexually abused by another man when she was a child.

The barrister suggested that she may either have “fabricated” the abuse or else “dreamt it and over the years come to believe it is true”.

She said: “To imply someone would dream things without a reason is ridiculous; it is insulting.”

READ MORE HERE: “I felt very dirty for a long time”- Jeffrey Donaldson sexual offences trial played alleged victim’s police interview

READ MORE HERE: ‘I will regret this to my dying day’- Jeffrey Donaldson wrote letter to alleged victim expressing regret, trial hears

READ MORE HERE: Jeffrey Donaldson barrister suggests alleged victim may have “dreamt” abuse

Day 4 – Friday 29th May

Kieran Vaughan KC, barrister for Jeffrey Donaldson, continued his cross-examination of Complainant A.

Complainant A told the trial that the former DUP leader touched her breasts “skin on skin” while she was a child. Challenged by a barrister over “inconsistencies” between her evidence in court and what she had told a police officer, Complainant A insisted “the facts are the facts”.

Mr Vaughan referred to an allegation made by the woman that Donaldson had touched her breasts on a number of occasions when she was of primary school age.

He asked about her claim that she had been touched “skin on skin”. She said: “Mostly, one or two occasions when it was over the top of a bra, but mostly skin on skin.”

The barrister drew attention to a meeting Complainant A had had with a police officer where she mentioned “touching over clothing”. She said: “If that is what she has written, that is what was said.”

The barrister then referred to an incident where the woman had claimed Donaldson had “perched” over the top of her, using a light to look at her “private parts”. When challenged about her account, complainant A said: “The light was focused on my genital area.”

Mr Vaughan said: “I suggest that is not true.” The barrister added: “You were confused and you were not sure of what you had seen.” She said: “To this day I am still confused… I am honest about that.”

The barrister also asked the woman why she had not handed the letter to the police when she had first been interviewed. She told the court that she “wasn’t sure it was relevant at the time”.

The barrister said the letter had “nothing to do with you and sexual assault” but instead related to other behaviour by Donaldson.

The woman said that while the letter did not mention sexual abuse, it had “heavy connotations of guilt and shame and asking for forgiveness”.

READ MORE HERE: ‘The facts are the facts’ – Woman tells trial Jeffrey Donaldson touched her breasts ‘skin on skin’ as a child

READ MORE HERE: Jeffrey Donaldson ‘regret’ letter ‘nothing to do’ with sex allegations, trial hears

Day 5 – Monday 1st June

A woman who says she was sexually abused as a child by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, known as Complainant A, took to the witness stand for a third day as she was cross-examined by Ian Turkington KC, barrister for Eleanor Donaldson.

He questioned her about why she did not mention all of the counselling sessions she had received following the alleged abuse in police interviews in 2024. The witness said she had “nothing to hide” and had forgotten to mention some of the counselling.

The witness was also questioned about her memory following the alleged abuse, with her responding, “Many people know that with childhood abuse, there is an issue with memory.”

“I have tried to remember these events and convey them to the best of my ability.”

Complainant A was also asked about how she had told Eleanor Donaldson about an alleged incident of abuse, and that this was “laughed off”.

She was accused by the barrister of “making this up as you go along,” which she refuted.

He said, “You are making this up as you go along.”

She said: “That is your assumption… I am here to tell the truth.”

Complainant A concluded giving her evidence to the trial on Monday afternoon.

READ MORE HERE: Woman who alleges Jeffrey Donaldson abused her denies she is ‘making up’ claims

Day 6 – Tuesday 2nd June

The second alleged victim, Complainant B, was not in the courtroom on Tuesday but appeared via a video link. Her ABE (achieving best evidence) interview with the police was played to the jury of seven men and five women.

Jeffrey Donaldson sat in the dock at the rear of the courtroom while the interview, which was recorded in March 2024, was played. In the interview, Complainant B said that growing up, she was “sexually abused by an adult”, and she particularly remembered two incidents. The woman frequently became emotional during the interview.

In the first, she claimed, Donaldson had put his hands down her underwear, pulled her legs apart and then sexually assaulted her. She said the second incident occurred when she was slightly older, when she said Donaldson “lifted up my top” and touched her breasts.

When asked by a police officer if there were other incidents, she said she remembered “his hands down my pants a lot”.

When she was asked about the first incident, she said it occurred when she was of primary school age, saying: “I remember being really still and all I could hear was his breath.”

Complainant B said the second incident occurred when she was in secondary school. She said: “He lifted up my top and started playing with my breasts.”

The complainant said that Eleanor Donaldson had witnessed part of the alleged incident and “walked away”.

Complainant B later said Donaldson had apologised to her at a meeting arranged at a Christian centre years later.

The witness was then cross-examined by Kieran Vaughan KC, barrister for Jeffrey Donaldson. He accused her of making up allegations, pointing to an inconsistency in the age she told a counsellor the abuse had happened and what she later told police, claiming “none of it happened”.

Complainant B responded to this, saying, “It is quite naive for you to say that. Everything I am saying is the truth … no matter how many questions people ask me, it will never change that.”

The barrister pointed out that she could not remember what age she was at the time of the alleged rape incident.

She said: “The actions that night I will never forget, what happened that night will live with me forever.”

Mr Vaughan suggested the incident “did not happen” and asked her why she did not tell anyone about it at the time.

She said: “It was my biggest mistake not telling anybody back then … I regret that every day.

READ MORE HERE: Woman tells Donaldson trial details of alleged rape will stay with her ‘forever’

Day 7 – Wednesday 3rd June

Complainant B continued to give evidence in Newry Crown Court, where she said she should have brought the alleged abuse to the police years earlier, but had “tried not to be a victim”.

Barrister for Jeffrey Donaldson, Kieran Vaughan KC, resumed his cross-examination of the alleged victim in the morning and said she had been sent to the Christian Family Centre in Armoy after she had started to take drugs in her teenage years.

She told the court that she had taken ecstasy and marijuana, but denied that she was addicted to the substances. Complainant B added that she originally thought her issues could have been “dealt with at home”, but said going there “turned out probably one of the best things that ever happened to me”.

The barrister said that while at the centre, complainant B had spoken to a woman at the facility. The witness confirmed she had told her about alleged abuse by Donaldson, but did not go into details.

The barrister said she told the woman this in an effort to leave Armoy.

The barrister said she had then spoken to a pastor at the centre about the allegations and asked why the conversation with the pastor was not in her statement to police.

The barrister asked her if she had told the pastor not to go to the police, and that if he did, she would say it was “all a lie”.

She said: “I don’t remember that … if I did it would have been the stupidest thing I ever said.”

In the afternoon, Complainant B was cross-examined by Ian Turkington KC, who represents Eleanor Donaldson in the proceedings.

He referred to two alleged incidents of abuse, the first where Complainant B said she was raped by Jeffrey Donaldson and the second where she claimed that he had touched her breasts. She alleges that Eleanor Donaldson witnessed part of the second incident.

Concerning the first incident, Mr Turkington suggested it was a “figment of your imagination”. She responded: “You are suggesting that, but that is not true. My account is the truth.”

Turning to the second incident, the barrister suggested “at no stage” did Eleanor Donaldson “ever see anybody touching your breasts”.

The woman said: “She looked directly at me.”

Complainant B said Eleanor Donaldson should have “stood up and defended me”.

The barrister then questioned her about how her memory of the alleged incidents had “evolved” since counselling sessions in 2008. She said: “I locked them [memories] away, there is a reason why I did drugs and all those stupid things when I was a teenager.”

The court had previously been told that Complainant B had received a text message from a third party in 2023 suggesting Eleanor Donaldson wanted to apologise.

Mr Turkington suggested it was only when the witness received the message that she believed Eleanor Donaldson had seen the incident where Jeffrey Donaldson is alleged to have touched her breasts.

READ MORE HERE: Eleanor Donaldson should have ‘stood up and defended me’ says alleged victim

Day 8, Thursday 4th June

The husband of Complainant A took the witness stand and gave evidence and became emotional when he described the moment that his wife told him about the alleged abuse.

He told the court: “She said that when she was younger, Jeffrey had abused her on a number of occasions.”

The witness said his partner had “gone into detail”, stating that Donaldson had inappropriately touched her “on a number of occasions” and that he kissed her and “put his tongue down her mouth”.

He said she also told him about an alleged incident where she was “woken by a light” and Donaldson was looking at her “private parts”.

The witness was cross-examined by Jeffrey Donaldson’s barrister, Kieran Vaughan, and Eleanor Donaldson’s barrister, Ian Turkington KC.

Later, the court heard evidence from a Presbyterian minister and his wife, who had provided “pastoral support” to Complainant A and her husband after they had disclosed an allegation of abuse.

He said he had contacted the church’s head of safeguarding as he “wanted to know what the boundaries were regarding our responsibilities”.

He said the first meeting took place in 2022.

The witness said that when he was on holiday in the summer of 2023, he received a message from Jeffrey Donaldson.

The court heard that Donaldson asked for the message to be kept “in confidence” and said he did not know “where else to turn and would truly appreciate the opportunity for a private conversation”.

The minister said he responded the following day that it would be “inappropriate” to have the meeting.

The court heard that Donaldson then sent a reply which said: “I do understand entirely. I don’t want to cause them further upset.

“I just want to find a way to say how sorry I am and repent before them as I have before the Lord.”

READ MORE HERE: Man recalls moment his wife revealed alleged sexual abuse by Jeffrey Donaldson

Day 9, Friday 5th June

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On Friday, the trial heard evidence from Laura Claire Selfridge, who is the daughter of David and Linda Hoy, who founded the Christian Family Centre in Armoy, Co Antrim.

Ms Selfridge told the court she had a conversation with Complainant B in her bedroom in Armoy. She told the court: “She literally just said she had been abused.”

Asked about the atmosphere, Ms Selfridge said: “Very shocking, almost like a bomb went off, that is what it felt like for me.”

The witness said they had never spoken again about the alleged abuse.

Asked if she had spoken to anyone else about the alleged abuse, she said: “Never, not to this day.”

Jeffrey Donaldson’s barrister, Kieran Vaughan KC, asked the witness if Complainant B had used the word “sexual” in relation to the alleged abuse. She replied “No”.

The court was then played a police video interview from Pastor Stephen Matthews, who had met Complainant B at the Christian Family Centre in Co Antrim. He is not well enough to give evidence at the trial.

He said: “I listened to her and she made very, very serious allegations.”

The pastor said she told him she had been abused when “very young”. He said he had asked her why she did not “come out with this and get help”. He added, “She said she can’t because it would destroy their political reputation. I don’t want that.”

Mr Matthews said he could not remember if B had named her alleged abuser, but said it “became obvious” who it was.

Mr Hoy gave evidence at the trial and spoke of meetings between himself, his wife, complainant B and Jeffrey Donaldson.

Mr Hoy said Complainant B was looking to meet Donaldson and “wanted a safe place to do that”.

The court was then told about a meeting between Donaldson, Complainant B and the Hoys in their home in Armoy the following day.

Mr Hoy said: “Mr Donaldson spoke first, he said I know what this is about, he said I am sorry and can you please forgive me.”

The witness said that Complainant B was upset but she “did say she forgave him”.

Mr Hoy said he asked B if she wanted to “take this any further and she said no”.

READ MORE HERE: Abuse claim not reported as it would ‘destroy reputation’, Donaldson trial told

Day 10, Monday 8th June

On day 10 of the trial, the jury heard that Donaldson had been interviewed by police for four and a half hours following his arrest in the early hours of March 28 2024.

Three hours of the interviews will be played to the jury.

Donaldson, wearing a blue suit, sat in the dock at the back of the court while the audio of the first interview was played.

The interview at Antrim PSNI station began with the former DUP leader confirming his name and date of birth.

Asked at the beginning if he wanted to say anything in relation to the alleged offences, he replied “No.”

The court has previously heard about an allegation that Donaldson had “perched” over the top of Complainant A when she was a child, using a light to look at her “private parts”.

In his police interview, Donaldson raised the incident, telling detectives he believed he had “startled” the girl.

He said: “It obviously frightened her. She thought that I was shining a light at her.”

“You know, I didn’t have a light. You know, I wasn’t doing anything untoward.”

He added: “She clearly still has a concern about that.”

When it was put to him that the alleged victim had said he was a heavy breather, Donaldson said: “Why would I be a heavy breather? I’ve never had asthma.”

When the rape allegation was put to him, he responded: “That did not happen. The answer to that is absolutely no.”

He added: “I’m sorry but I can’t get my head around this notion.

“This is not anything that is something that has ever happened, would not happen. That is not a situation that we would have thought in any way was appropriate.”

He said “at no stage” had Complainant A ever claimed “I touched her or did anything inappropriate on that occasion”.

In the interview, Donaldson said there had been “good times and difficult times” in his marriage to Eleanor Donaldson.

He said his work as a politician had “put a strain on our marriage”.

Donaldson said: “The role I hold is all-consuming, it takes up a lot of time.”

Turning to another alleged incident where Complainant B alleges Donaldson played with her breasts when she was of secondary school age, he again denied the actions.

He said: “There was nothing of an inappropriate nature in terms of breasts exposed or anything like that.”

The police interview then turned to a meeting between Complainant B, Jeffrey Donaldson and David and Linda Hoy, the founders of the Christian Family Centre in Armoy in the 1990s.

The court previously heard B had stayed at the centre as a teenager after developing a problem with drugs. Donaldson said he had been contacted by Mr Hoy about things B was “uncomfortable with”.

He said: “I was happy to have a chat.”

He said: “At no stage did anybody allege any of the kind of incidents you have mentioned.”

He said following the meeting, himself and B “both embraced and that was the end of it”.

Donaldson responded: “All of the issues you’ve put to me this afternoon were not mentioned to me.”

Asked if the conversation with B had involved an apology, Donaldson said: “I’m sure it did…if our relationship was not good, then I was sorry that was the case.”

Donaldson also denied putting his hand up Complainant A’s top and putting his tongue in her mouth and moving it around.

READ MORE HERE: Jeffrey Donaldson told police he wasn’t doing ‘anything untoward’

READ MORE HERE: Donaldson told police he ‘can’t get head round’ allegations of sexual abuse

Day 11, Tuesday 9th June

On Day 11 of the trial, the jury was played recordings of Eleanor Donaldson’s police interview.

In her first interview with police, Eleanor Donaldson was asked if she was guilty of the offences for which she had been arrested. She replied no.

She then told police about an incident where she had gone to find her husband and he was in a room with Complainant B, who was a teenager at the time.

The court has previously heard B allege that the former MP had lifted her top and touched her breasts.

Eleanor Donaldson said: “I just sort of remember just looking at him and saying what are you doing.”

She said when she asked her husband about it, he said it “was nothing” and that he was “just talking”.

She added: “In the years that came after that I never had any cause for concern ever, I never felt that apart from thinking that that was strange and what was that about and I asked Jeffrey about it and he just dismissed it.

“I never had any other feeling that anything was wrong.”

She said: “I asked Jeffrey many times but he had never given me a reason for why he was there or what he was doing.

“I asked him many times and it never came to anything and he never gave me any answers.”

When asked by the detective, if she had a “clear view” of what had happened, she said: “I could just see that there were both standing there, but that was it.”

The detective asked her if she believed “something more” had been going on.

She said: “Yes, because I was uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable.”

She added: “Every time I did ask I was met with a blank wall, it was not coming out.

“I just lived to the best of my ability and then other times it would start eating at me again because I just wanted to get to the bottom of it and even though all those years had passed still to the back of my mind because that’s the type of person I am.”

The detective asked if she had ever witnessed any inappropriate behaviour between her husband and Complainant B.

She said: “No, absolutely nothing.”

Referring to a meeting between her husband and Complainant B at the Armoy Family Centre, Eleanor Donaldson said: “I didn’t know this at the time and I didn’t know it until many years had passed and in the course of conversation with him again, he said… the questions that you’re asking me, that has been dealt with.”

She said her husband told her he had “asked for forgiveness”, it was granted and “that was sorted”.

She said: “But I never knew what that was because he wouldn’t talk to me about it.”

Asked about the circumstances of an alleged incident where Complainant B claims she was raped by Jeffrey Donaldson, Eleanor Donaldson said: “I would say that didn’t happen. Absolutely not, oh my goodness.”

She told police she was “devastated” hearing about the allegation.

She added: “That’s totally outside my knowledge of what I would expect from him.”

Eleanor Donaldson also told police she had no awareness of allegations made by Complainant A that she was sexually abused when she was a child.

She said: “I’ve never been party or seen anything like that.”

Asked if she was aware of occasions where her husband had allegedly put his tongue in A’s mouth, she said: “Ugh, no.”

Asked about the allegations made by both complainants, Eleanor Donaldson said: “This is a massive, massive shock.”

READ MORE HERE: Eleanor Donaldson hit ‘blank wall’ asking husband about alleged victim

Day 12, Wednesday 10th June

Legal arguments were heard in the absence of the jury.

Day 13, Thursday 11th June

Defence barrister Kieran Vaughan KC called Jeffrey Donaldson as a witness in the trial shortly after 10.30am on day 13.

Mr Vaughan asked him if he accepted any of the allegations made by Complainant B, the older of the two alleged victims.

Donaldson said: “No.”

The barrister asked the same question about allegations made by Complainant A, and Donaldson again said “no”.

The court has previously heard evidence about a letter Donaldson wrote to Complainant A in June 2020, where he had told of his “regret” over the “hurt, pain and distress I have caused”.

The defence has previously told the court the letter does not relate to any alleged abuse, but is about another matter.

Donaldson read extracts of the letter to the court.

Mr Vaughan asked him if the letter referred to incidents of abuse.

Donaldson said “Absolutely not.”

He added: “This is not the reason why this letter was written.”

The barrister turned to the allegations made by Complainant B, who claims she was raped by Donaldson.

Donaldson told the court: “It just didn’t happen, I am absolutely crystal clear about that.”

“It is not something I would ever have done, it is just simply not true.”

Mr Vaughan turned to another incident where it is alleged Donaldson had lifted the girl’s top and touched her breasts.

Donaldson said he did remember an occasion being alone with the girl, but said they had just been talking.

He said he got up and left when he heard his wife, Eleanor, call his name.

Mr Vaughan asked if there had been any inappropriate behaviour.

He said: “Absolutely none whatsoever

“There was nothing I would have done that could be misconstrued.”

He said the idea was “just unbelievable”.

Donaldson also rejected any suggestion that his wife had witnessed the abuse but did not intervene.

He said: “She would have been very angry, she would have intervened immediately.”

He added: “I am absolutely clear, there is no situation where that happened.

“I would not have been doing that.

“It is just unbelievable.”

Asked about other allegations of inappropriately touching the same alleged victim, he said: “Absolutely not.”

The court has previously heard that Donaldson had met with Complainant B in the 1990s after she attended the Christian Family Centre in Armoy.

Donaldson said at the meeting he had said he was sorry if Complainant B had felt “uncomfortable”.

Mr Vaughan asked if any allegation of sexual abuse was put to him at the meeting.

He said: “No, not ever, those allegations had never been put to me.”

He was asked if he had been apologising for abuse.

Donaldson said: “No, because there had been no abuse and that was not the nature of the meeting.”

The barrister then turned to allegations made by Complainant A.

Asked if he had ever kissed her on the mouth as a child, Donaldson said: “Why would I kiss a child using my tongue?

“That is just ridiculous, that just did not ever happen.”

Donaldson also told the trial that his work as an MP had been “all-encompassing” and his wife had been “devastated” when he had an affair in 2008.

He said he confessed the affair to Eleanor Donaldson and had “regretted it”.

He said there was another occasion during the Covid-19 pandemic when a bugging device had been placed in his car after his wife had discovered he was exchanging “flirtatious” texts with a woman.

A prosecution barrister has put it to former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson that he treated a woman who claims he raped her as a child “like an object”.

Prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh KC asked Donaldson if the two complainants in the trial were lying.

He said: “I’ve told the truth and I believe what has been said is untrue.”

When asked if this meant he believed both were lying, he agreed.

Ms Walsh then asked him at “what point” he had started abusing Complainant B.

The former MP replied: “I didn’t.”

The barrister said the alleged victim had claimed it started when she was aged between seven and eight, and suggested this was an “easy time” to start abuse.

Donaldson said: “I don’t agree at all with what you are saying.

“That wasn’t happening. I am saying that didn’t happen, very clearly saying it.”

She asked him if the abuse had begun “quite discreetly”.

Donaldson said: “Again I say to you, this did not happen.”

Ms Walsh suggested the alleged victim “didn’t know” at first the abuse was sexual, due to her young age.

He said: “This did not happen.”

Ms Walsh asked him at what point Eleanor Donaldson had “become aware” he was abusing the girl.

He said: “Given that I was not abusing, that was not an issue. Eleanor wouldn’t have known because there was nothing to know.”

When Ms Walsh questioned him about the alleged rape of Complainant B, Donaldson said: “I am absolutely crystal clear it didn’t happen.”

Donaldson pointed out that the prosecution had given a “time range of three or four years” for the alleged rape.

Ms Walsh said: “You could tell us when it was it happened.”

Donaldson said: “I don’t know when it was because it did not happen.”

Ms Walsh suggested Donaldson knew by the time of the alleged rape that Complainant B would not tell anyone because he had “already been abusing her”.

He said: “Absolutely not.”

He added: “There is absolutely no way Eleanor would have agreed, been party to, consented, to anything of that kind of nature.

“That just did not happen, it simply did not happen.”

The barrister asked him why the alleged victim had “told all these serious lies”.

He said: “I wish I knew the answer to that question.”

The barrister turned to an incident where Donaldson has been accused of lifting Complainant B’s top and touching her breasts when she was of secondary school age.

The court has previously heard a claim from Complainant B that Eleanor Donaldson had walked in during the alleged encounter, but left without doing anything.

Donaldson said: “Nothing inappropriate ever happened.”

Ms Walsh suggested he had seen “an opportunity like opportunities you have taken before”.

He said: “I am afraid I simply cannot accept that.”

The barrister suggested Donaldson had abused her “because you could”.

He said: “No, no… nothing untoward happened.”

Regarding the allegation that Eleanor Donaldson had walked in and out again, he said: “No, no.”

She said: “Once Eleanor Donaldson left that room, you carried on because you knew that you could.”

He said: “No, absolutely not.”

Mr Donaldson was asked why, if he was telling the truth, he thought Complainant B had made up the allegations about him.

He said that perhaps she was angry because his career as a politician was on the “up and up”, while she was dealing with drug problems at a Christian centre in Armoy.

Ms Walsh said Complainant B had claimed Donaldson had treated her “like an object”.

She added: “Is that what she was to you?”

He said: “Absolutely not.”

She said: “You did just treat her like an object.”

He responded: “No, I did not.”

READ MORE HERE: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson tells jury he is ‘crystal clear’ rape allegation is false

READ MORE HERE: ” My head was in a spin”- Jeffrey Donaldson tells court about moment he and his wife were arrested at 6am

READ MORE HERE: Jeffrey Donaldson denies claim he treated alleged rape victim ‘like an object’

Day 14, Friday 12th June

On day 14, Donaldson that a letter he wrote to his alleged victim did not refer to allegations of sexual abuse but instead he was apologising for other behaviour.

Prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh KC cross-examined the ex-Lagan Valley MP at his historical sexual offences trial at Newry Crown Court.

In the afternoon session Ms Walsh turned to a letter Donaldson wrote to Complainant A in June 2020 in which he expressed “regret” for the “hurt, pain and distress” he had caused.

Donaldson has said the letter did not refer to allegations of sexual abuse but instead he was apologising for other behaviour.

Ms Walsh referred to the phrase “lift a sinner out of the deep pit of sin” within the letter.

She asked: “Are you a deceitful person Mr Donaldson.”

He said: “Not by nature.”

He added: “At its heart Christianity starts from the starting point we are all sinful in nature.

“That is what I was referring to.”

She said: “But we are not all in a deep pit of sin.”

He said: “I am simply explaining to you the basis on which I wrote these words.”

She read another part of the letter which stated: “I know how deep the wounds are caused by my sinful and selfish actions.”

She suggested part of the letter is “about sexually abusing a child”.

He said: “That is not the case.”

Ms Walsh said: “That is what the deep wounds are.”

He said: “That is not the case.”

Donaldson added: “I was not writing to seek forgiveness for sexual abuse.”

READ MORE HERE: Donaldson trial told letter of ‘regret’ not referring to sex abuse claims

READ MORE HERE: Jeffrey Donaldson denies he attended meeting to nip claims ‘in the bud’, court hears

Day 15, Monday 15th June

On day 15, Donaldson’s barrister Kieran Vaughan KC told the jury of seven men and five women that he was “now in a position to close my case”.

Barrister for Eleanor Donaldson, Ian Turkington KC, said: “She is incapable of giving evidence so we don’t intend to call any further evidence.”

READ MORE HERE: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson sex offences trial sees defence close case

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North Yorkshire Police has issued a photograph of a man officers want to speak to after the incident at the Crathorne Hall Hotel, near Stokesley, on Monday, May 11.

The force said a man booked two hotel rooms and attended the Crathorne Hall Hotel on May 11 with two other adults and four children.

Crathorne Hall Hotel (Image: Chris Booth)

A police spokesperson said the group incurred a “large bar and room service bill” and “when asked to pay, the group left the hotel without doing so”.

“The card used to book and pay for the rooms had insufficient funds, leaving a large unpaid bill,” they said.

The police spokesperson said the man pictured on CCTV may have information about the incident, urging anyone who recognises him to contact the force.

Those with information are asked to email ian.butterfield@northyorkshire.police.uk or phone 101 quoting reference 12260086487.

Hopes and Beans in Whitby has applied to turn existing holiday let apartments into five hotel rooms as part of a plan to refurbish its town centre site.

The ground and part first floors are in use as a cafe and a new scheme would see the sympathetic restoration of the existing building at 2, St Ann’s Staith, near the town’s iconic swing bridge, and would include the reconfiguration of the holiday apartments into hotel accommodation.

The hotel rooms would be accessed and serviced via a ground floor reception café and bar.

Current accommodation on the first floor was converted into holiday let use in 2023, and last year the applicant’s plans for a seven-room hotel were approved.

North Yorkshire Council’s environmental protection team has not raised objections but did recommend conditions limiting construction hours if the scheme is approved.

The site comprises a pair of buildings located at 2, St Ann’s Staith and floors above number 3, St Ann’s Staith. The buildings have undergone extensive alterations over the years, some of which are being reversed by the current owner as part of a sympathetic restoration, according to plans.

St Ann Staith, Whitby. Applicant

The existing first floor accommodation would be reconfigured as two hotel bedrooms, operated by and accessed through the ground floor reception café, while the second floor accommodation would be reconfigured as three hotel bedrooms.

Access to the second floor accommodation will be improved and will be more direct with a new staircase.

“Currently the second floor is accessed by circulating through the first floor former cafe seating area to an unprotected staircase,” according to a submitted design statement.

The neighbouring building is the Grade-II Listed Custom House at No. 1 St Ann’s Staith.

The applicant said: “The proposed sympathetic works to the facade of number 3 St Ann’s Staith will improve both the building itself together with having a positive impact upon the terrace of neighbouring buildings and the wider Whitby Conservation Area.”

The planning authority has not set a date for deciding on the application which is currently open to representations from members of the public.

Here is a round up of the rioters who are due to be sentenced for their role in the disorder in the Cardiff surburb in 2023.

The violence, destruction and disorder that gripped Ely after the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans on May 22, 2023, was the worst rioting Cardiff has seen for a generation.

Cars were tipped over and torched. Bottles, bricks, burning objects and fireworks were launched at police. Mattresses were set alight and petrol bombs thrown.

There remain unanswered questions about the actions of a police van that had been driving behind the teenagers earlier in the day – and the account given by South Wales Police at the time. The police watchdog, the IoPC, is still investigating.

And there remain questions about how the police handled the initial, difficult, distressed scenes on Snowdon Road where the mothers of the boys were unable to see their children and officers faced angry friends of the boys.

Yet there are no questions about what developed later that evening. Residents were terrified as people from outside the area joined a mob intent on violence and destruction with police officers their target and no concern for the impact on people’s lives and belongings.

Today, thirty of those people – some from Ely others from many other parts of south Wales – will find out in Cardiff Crown Court the price they will pay.

Ashdon O’Dare

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Ashdon O’Dare, 28, of Penygarn Road, Ely, was said to be instrumental in encouraging and whipping up the crowd. He was described as an instigator who “escalated the level of violence and disorder”.

O’Dare was said to have family connections with Harvey Evans and Kyrees Sullivan, and was concerned for his younger brother who had been with the deceased that day

O’Dare saw the bodies of Kyrees and Harvey in the street, which he found upsetting and distressing. The court heard his actions were impulsive but confined to verbal actions and language. The defendant established the football team “K and H forever young” in memory of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

Jamie Jones

Jamie Jones, 24, of Llanrumney, was a stone and missile thrower shortly after the escalation of the riot. He was part of the crowd which initially confronted the police and threw missiles during the early stages.

He initially stood towards the back of the crowd but walked to a garden to collect stones to use as missiles at the police. He also threw a bin towards the police line, narrowly missing defendant Lee Robinson.

Jones was said to have known Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans and “reacted badly” after rumours spread about how the boys died. The defendant had previously been employed in fire proofing and was diagnosed with diabetes as a child, which eventually led to him being unable to work after suffering an infection in his feet.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Matthew Evans

The images of a burning car defined the Ely riots and Evans, 22, of Kenwood Road, Ely, was responsible. He used an aerosol can as a flamethrower to set fire to a red Citroen, which went up in flames.

Cardiff Crown Court heard he was first sighted at 6.35pm some 30 minutes after the boys had died. At the time, he was wearing a blue t-shirt.

He left the scene shortly after 9pm but he returned 20 minutes later wearing a different top and attempting to cover his face.

The court was told: “He was active from that point, throwing stones and large missiles, including a burning bed frame, at officers. He was seen to set fire to the mattress in the middle of the road, which became the source of a bonfire. Later in the evening he was seen to set fire to a red car by smashing the window and usin, causing a fire to start within.

His defence said that Evans knew Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, and was “deeply concerned” about what had happened to them. He has a three-month-old daughter and the defendant was said to be a “loving and caring father”, in “stark contrast” to the person shown in the footage.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Cameron Carter

Cameron Carter, 20, of Ely, was a prolific stone and missile thrower, including large missiles. He threw a baby chair, a TV monitor, and a metal drain cover.

Carter was seen to arrive at the scene together with Matthew Evans and they left shortly after 9pm. They returned having changed their clothes and attempted to conceal their faces.

He was seen to approach the police line with an unknown weapon in hand and threw lit items at the police. He was also at the forefront of a group tipping a car.

The prosecution said Carter played a “central and leading role in proceedings”.

In mitigation, it was said the defendant became “frightened” by the extent of the riot towards the latter stages. He had a difficult background but has prospects in work having set up his own business as a mechanic.

Since the riot, he has become a father twice and is due to become a father for the third time.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Ryan Knight

Ryan Knight, 21, of Splott, made an outburst in court during the prosecution opening, saying “What about Harvey and Kyrees? I haven’t heard their names once.” As a result he was sent to the cells.

His involvement was described as “persistent and prolific”. He was a stone and missile thrower and threw items he set alight at officers. He was one of the first at the scene, just after 7pm, and was involved in the escalation of missile throwing that evening.

The defendant was referred to as “prominent, aggressive and prolific” rioters before the courts.

He was seen early on to remove his shirt to cover his face, threw a bottle and went to a garden to pick up stones. He was part of a group collecting debris from a trolley and stood alone continuing to throw debris. On the footage, Knight was seen to throw missiles at police at close range and placed himself in a prominent position.

Minutes later he was subjected to a shield strike because of his closeness to the police. He was seen to remove his clothing and stood his ground posturing. He continued to throw missiles and was described as “incessant”. At 9.30pm he used an aerosol can as a flamethrower to light something on the ground before kicking it at officers. At 11.06pm, he was carrying a bucket, its contents on fire, and threw the lit bucket towards the police before throwing more missiles. He was last seen at 11.40pm.

Knight failed to turn up to court on September 19, 2024, and was arrested on March 16, 2025, while hiding under a friend’s bed at a house in Ely.

In mitigation, it was said Knight has recognised mental disorders and had a difficult background due to his father being violent towards his mother while battling alcoholism and substance abuse. He also grew up with an involvement from child mental health services, and he experienced a decline in health during the Covid pandemic.

The defendant was said to be distressed by the passing of his two friends and he lashed out. He was particularly close to Harvey Evans

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Liam Williams

Liam Williams, 21, of Newport Road, Rumney, attended the scene in a van with aerosol cans and cans of fuel. He handed out aerosol cans to rioters which were used as improvised flamethrowers and to accelerate lit fires.

He didn’t attend the scene until 11.35pm and was in his works van which contained cans and fuel. An unknown male threw an aerosol can on fire at the police line. More canisters are coming and another male is seen to approach with more canisters on fire, thrown behind the police line.

Live stream footage shows the defendant saying ‘I have just given five cans of f****** aerosol’’. At 11.36pm, Williams exits his van and hands out aerosol cans from the back of the van. A male can be hard saying ‘Put them on fire’

Canisters were being used by rioters as flamethrowers to accelerate a fire in a red Citroen vehicle. Williams then left the scene but cans continued to feature.”

The defendant had been out working near Ely with his father on the day of the riot, and upon hearing the news he made a decision to go there. He later claimed he had attended the riots inadvertently and the cans were “taken by masked men”.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Jordan Webster

Jordan Webster, 30, of Ely, was a stone and missile thrower during the initial escalation and assisted others as the riot escalated. He was part of the crowd which initially confronted the police and was one of the first to conceal his face, pulling his hood tightly over his face.

He threw missiles and stones during the early stages and could be heard saying “Run them over” in relation to a black Audi in the road. He pushed others forward, ran to a garden to grab stones and pushed a trolley full of debris to throw at officers.

Webster has been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia as a child. He cares for his young daughter and his grandmother, with whom he lives on a part time basis.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Kyle Telemaque

Kyle Telemaque, 20, of Deere Place, Ely, was a prolific stone or missile thrower. He was present throughout the riot and continuously involved. He was said to be a permanent figure in the riots and was encouraging the crowd.

Telemaque was first seen at 6.29pm and was involved in the escalation of missile throwing and continued to throw missiles throughout the evening. He also set items alight and threw lit items towards the police. Messages were later found on his phone in which he accepted injuring an officer and blowing up a car.

He was said to be a “personal friend” of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans. The court heard Telemaque spoke to Kyrees just 14 minutes before the collision He was informed by others that the two boys had been killed, and did not believe it but travelled to the scene and saw them in the street.

The defendant was said to have had flashbacks about his own father’s death at the scene of a motorbike collision.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Lianna Tucker

Lianna Tucker, 20, of Ely, threw multiple missiles at 9.20pm and remained at the scene until the early hours. She was present at the junction of Wilson Road and Snowden Road and was seen in the vicinity when police started to move the cordon back.

“She was remonstrating with officers and was one of the last to move away from the cordon as the crowd moved back. When the crowd began to throw missiles, she moved away and wasn’t seen to throw anything in the initial stages. Around 9pm, she starts to throw broken up plasterboard. She is later seen in the crowd in the early hours of the morning.

She was confrontational and was heard saying “Get your f****** hands off me”. She was one of the last to move back, picked up items off the ground and handed them to defendant Kyle Telemaque. She was also seen picking up items from the floor and throwing them.

The defendant told one officer: “You daft c*** keep away from me.” She was arrested and interviewed, and said: “I heard feds, I went up by Wilson where the boys had died… I was told by everyone it was the feds who killed them, and did something I shouldn’t have and joined in… I thought it was you guys who had killed them.”

Tucker was said have seen Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans on the floor having medical assistance which had a profound effect on her. She has been diagnosed with complex PTSD from trauma in her childhood, and exacerbated by the events she saw on the night of the riot.

She is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Jumana Fouad

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Jumana Fouad, 19, of Ely, was a missile thrower and celebrated when an officer got injured. She was present until after midnight.

She was first seen at 6.30pm and was present throughout. She joined in with missile throwers when a number of rioters had gathered debris from a pile in the road. She was later seen with a group that set fire to a burning mattress and continued throwing missiles into the night.

She was seen throwing a large missile at 10.05pm which connected with a police shield.

Fouad was said to be a carer for her mother who suffers with fibromyalgia, and at the time of her offending the defendant had been subjected to racial bullying which impacted her mental health.

She is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Jamie Bateman

Jamie Bateman, 28, of Vervain Close, Caerau, broke up a paving slab to be used as ammunition to throw at the police. He also became involved and threw a missile at police.

He was seen at 6.40pm in the crowd and remained part of the crowd when tensions began to develop at 8.30pm. He made indignant comments to officers and shortly before 8.40pm he was seen to point at a garden and interact with other rioters. He was seen to retrieve a large paving slab from the garden, raised it above his head and threw it on the floor, breaking it into pieces to be used to throw at the police.

The defendant later picked up a piece of plasterboard and threw it as the police cordon. He remained in the area interacting with other rioters and went into a garden looking for items to be used as missiles. At 9.20pm, he was standing next to a mattress which had been set on fire. He remained at the scene until shortly after midnight.”

Williams was said to have had had a difficult and traumatic childhood after being placed into care. The defendant’s father took his own life when Bateman was 15-years-old and he also suffered the loss of his grandmother. He has had periods of employment but due to his mental health these have been sporadic.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Lee-Martin McQuade

Lee-Martin McQuade, 30, of Ely, was aggressively shouting at police throughout and encouraged rioters to hit Ely police station. He threw missiles and burned an area near a lit mattress and helped others preparing a petrol bomb.

This was thrown at a car and he joined in attacks on police vehicles.

The defendant was vocal in shouting abuse at officers in the early stages, calling them “wrong uns” and said they “got thrills chasing youths on bikes”. He wore a face covering during a period of missile throwing which was “sustained and heavy”.

McQuade threw missiles himself before throwing a lit object at a lit mattress. He was with a group preparing a petrol bomb and could be heard shouting “Hit Ely police station” as Liam Williams was giving out aerosol cans. The defendant attacked a motorbike, encouraged others to light it up and joined in attacking vehicles himself.

The defendant said: “Load up on bricks, yo yo, all my f****** young Gs, get bricks, we need those, everything f****** now” and “Kick the officer’s shields.” The defendant also said: “Don’t kill people’s kids, we don’t want to do this but we have to, you’re horrible c****.

“We’re normal people living a normal life, well you c**** hurt kids, you caused this killing people’s kids. Imagine it was your kids who got knocked off their bikes and were lying dead on the side of the road you horrible c****.

“I am not even that person, you pushed us to this you horrible c****. Put a drone up, it’s easy but you get a f****** thrill. I hope you’re f****** proud of yourselves, I hope you enjoy your £20 an hour.” The defendant also told rioters to carry out “leg shots” as the police shields did not cover officers’ legs and encouraged the crowd to “bombard” Ely police station with bricks.

In mitigation, McQuade was said to have stopped working due to the “stress and mental health issues” concerning the sentencing hearing and the sentence he may face. He has a partner and two children, and resides part time with his father who he cares for.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Malaki McQuade

Malaki McQuade, 19, of Ely, was involved in the tipping of a car onto its side. He was present throughout but not involved in the initial throwing. He seemed to help others in covering their faces using their clothing.

He threw a missile just before 9.30pm and was later part of a group that tipped a car on its side. the defendant also provided assistance to co-defendants Ryan Knight and Kyle Telemaque during the course of the riot.

McQuade was said to have had experienced “traumatic events” in his childhood, including the death of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, which led him to using cannabis.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Gemma Virgin

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Gemma Virgin, 45, of Ely, was a missile thrower. She was first seen late on at 10.26pm when she was immediately confrontational and abusive towards officers. She threw a missile at an officer and taunted the police while brandishing a piece of wood at them as she did so.

She was verbally abusive while throwing missiles at the police, turned to the crowd and raised her arms in the air before brandishing a piece of wood.

Virgin accepted “jumping on a bandwagon” and said she was “shameful and remorseful” for her actions as she was a grandmother.

In mitigation, it was said the defendantr’s state of mind at the time of the riot was at a low point, and she has been diagnosed with OCD and anxiety.

Virgin he defendant turned to alcohol following the death of her father, and she has five children, the youngest being 16-years-old, and two grandchildren.

She is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Liam Black

Liam Black, 21, of Addison Crescent, Ely, was a prolific stone and missile thrower at the head of the riot and threw fireworks directly at the police.

He was at the scene from an early stage and present when missile throwing escalated but did not directly get involved at that stage. Youths were seen to gather around his car and threw stones. He drove his car from the scene, left it nearby and returned having changed his clothes in an attempt to disguise his appearance.

He was a prolific thrower of stones and fireworks and was very much at the forefront of the crowd.

Black threw a lit firework at police, which landed just before the police line and caused officers to retreat. He also threw a lit plank of wood at the police. The defendant was part of a group which tipped over a car.

The defendant resides with his grandmother in order to support her, and is dependent on her grandson due to her physical disabilities.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Michaela Gonzales

Michaela Gonzales, 37, of Plymouth Wood Close, Ely, was one of those in the initial flurry of missile throwing. The court heard she threw a bottle and hid behind a car. The prosecution said Gonzales’s role was not a prominent one at the time and that she was not the first person to throw a missile.

In mitigaiton, it was said Gonzales was involved in looking after the families of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans

Gonzales was said to suffer from a range of mental health conditions including schizophrenia. and has been impacted by a “significantly difficult and deprived upbringing”. She was the victim of repeated domestic violence as a child and the court hearsdthis had continued into adulthood.

She is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

Lee Robinson

Lee Robinson, 39, of Heol Deva, Caerau, made himself visible as the crowd became increasingly hostile as the police cordon moved towards Stanway Road.

He placed himself front and centre, sometimes standing alone, making it difficult for police to move forward. He was an aggressive focal point and successfully drew attention to himself, gathering others around him who similarly began acting in an aggressive manner.

His aggressive demeanour continued throughout those early stages to encourage others to follow his example. He fixated on PC Ellary to engage in a fight, saying ‘I want you, come on bruv, stop hiding behind a dog, I’ll f****** kill you here’.

In footage filmed by himself, Robinson could be heard saying “Murderers, killing people. Shooting dogs and killing kids. Biggest organised crime gang… The Ely riots of 2023.” He filmed fires in the middle of the road and police helicopters in the sky, and of himself cheering loudly as a petrol bomb was thrown at the police.

Robinson was said to have had a difficult start in life and was adopted by foster parents. He has been diagnosed with ADHD, has few qualifications, suffered a road traffic accident which caused a head injury, and has been treated for depression.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

Callum O’Sullivan

Callum O’Sullivan, 25, of Ely, was present throughout the riot from an early stage. He joined in the missile throwing and continued to throw missiles for some time.

At 9.20pm, he threw his first missile at police and for some time after that he repeatedly threw missiles for the remainder of the riot. At 9.56pm he placed a bag of unknown contents next to a divan bed. Other rioters helped themselves to the contents of the bag to set it alight.

Later that evening, O’Sullivan was seen removing his t-shirt and placed it around his head to disguise his identity.

O’Sullivan was said suffered “childhood trauma” and is suffering from PTSD. He was subjected to emotional and physical abuse and neglect, placed into care at the age of 13 and left school with no qualifications.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Harvey James

Harvey James, 20, of Ely, was part of the congregating crowd resisting police efforts to move the line up Wilson Road and later threw a missile at police.. The prosecution said the defendant was not regarded as an “instigator”.

James was said to have known Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey James and arrived at the shortly after his shift at The Range and was still wearing his uniform. He was contacted by his cousin about the boy’s deaths and went to assist his cousin.

The defendant was later picked up by his mother, and now realises the consequences of his actions that night. As a result of his involvement, James lost his job at The Range.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

Tyler Stapleton

Tyler Stapleton, 26, of Llewellyn Avenue, Ely, was one of the missile throwers in the initial throwing. He left shortly after throwing those missiles.

He was present from around 7.30pm and joined a group confronting police at 8.30pm. He was one of the first to throw missiles after making an attempt to conceal his face. The defendant was arrested and provided a prepared statement saying he had done something “incredibly stupid” and had “copied the actions of someone else”.

Stapleton knew both Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans. He currently resides with his father but he has a 12-month old child and he and his partner are keen to find their own home. Since he found out he was to become a father, Stapleton abstained from using cannabis and is regularly drug tested in his workplace.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17..

McKenzie Pring

McKenzie Pring, 21, of Caerau, was a stone and missile thrower during the initial escalation.

“He arrived at the scene shortly after the collision, watched from a short distance until the disorder began to escalate. He became involved in the first flurry of stone throwing, gathered stones from a nearby garden, and threw them at police.

Pring was described as a “good friend” of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans. He spoke to one of their mothers and was trying to “support people” but when information seeped through and others began challenging the police, the defendant threw three missiles.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17..

Jayden Westcott

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Jayden Westcott, 21, of Ely, was a stone and missile thrower. He was first sighted at 8.23pm, wearing an orange top, and joined the group directly in front of the police line.

He later threw missiles at the police after the initial escalation, wore a dark hoody with the hood pulled up, before throwing numerous missiles at the police.

Westcott was also seen dragging a trolley of debris for others to throw and encouraging others during the riot. Messages were later found on the phone, in which he agreed “feds’ going to die tonight”. He also said he had “slit one’s face”.

It was said he went to the scene having been informed by his mother matters were escalating and his 12-year-old brother was there, but he got caught up in “emotional scenes”. The defendant was said to have known Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans well.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Jasmine Smith

Jasmine Smith, 21, of Heath, threw two missiles later on in the evening. She was seen shortly before 8pm approaching the front of the cordon. She witnessed the aggression of others and told an officer ‘You want to kill another kid tonight, I’m here’.

She approached the front of the cordon and asked to be let through, claiming she had a panic attack. She was let through but returned to the active side of the cordon and reentered the crowd. She remained at the scene and just before 10pm she watched the crowd trying to set fire to a bed frame. Something was illuminated in her hand before it was extinguished. At 10.34pm she was seen throwing two missiles towards the police. She stayed at the scene until midnight.

Smith is related to Harvey Evans who was her cousin. She saw Harvey and Kyrees’ mothers were crying at the scene, but didn’t know what happened to them After it was announced they had died, she became swept up in the mob instead of dealing with her grief.

The defendant has an eight-month-old son and is pregnant with her second child. She grew up as a child in care, which led to drug misuse and mental health issues. She was heavily using drugs at the time of her arrest, but is now clean and has been for some time.

She is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Keiron Beccano

Keiron Beccano, 37, of Clos y Cwarra, Ely, was a stone and missile thrower shortly after the initial escalation. He was part of the crowd that initially confronted the police and was seen to throw missiles and stones at police before breaking up debris on the floor and encouraging others to get involved.

Beccano was smiling as others were throwing missiles and rubble at police.

The defendant has caring responsibilities for a number of his children and has a diagnosis for PTSD.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

Jaydan Baston

Jaydan Baston, 21, of Heol Poyston, Caerau, was a missile thrower during the initial escalation of the riot.

The defendant asked police a “mocking question”, in which he said “Are you going to use that baton?” He stood with missile throwers during the initial escalation laughing. At 9.10pm he collected rubble from a pile in the road and threw them at police.

Baston helped to set up a football team in memory of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans. At the time of the collison, he was playing football and when he went to the scene he became aware later on the two deceased were friends of his. He has references from the boys’ mothers, he knew them well and went to their houses.

He has an eight-week-old baby. His father died in 2021 and his grandfather is terminally ill. Baston lost his job as a result of his involvement in the riot, but has found new employment as a labourer.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

Connor O’Sullivan

Connor O’Sullivan, 27, of Caerau Court Road, Caerau, was present throughout the riot, initially watching but becoming involved in the later stages by throwing a missile.

He arrived just before 6.30pm and mingled with the crowd without incident before the riot took hold. At 9.10pm he was standing in the vicinity of the rioters, watching on as missile throwing intensified. Those he was with were throwing plasterboard and at 9.30pm he threw a missile for the first time.

“At 9.50pm, he removed his top and used it as a face covering, and was throwing missiles on a number of occasions for the remainder of the evening. At 11.05pm he was handing bricks to another and threw a brick towards the police line. He encouraged others with calls to the crowd of ‘Come on, come on boys, any more?’ and ‘Ely gang’.

The court also heard O’Sullivan assisted others in attempting to throw a door at the police.

O’Sullivan was said to have a number of learning difficulties, including ADHD. the defendant had difficult background, was taken into care at the age of nine-years-old and received special education needs in school.

He is due to be sentenced on Friday, June 19.

Luke Williams

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Luke Williams, 32, of Deere Place, Caerau, live streamed what was happening on Facebook..

The prosecution said he repeatedly blamed police officers for the death of the boys and was hostile about and towards police officers. He was accused of cheering when he saw officers being injured and suggested officers should be euthanised.

“At 9.38pm he told the livestream ‘This is in Ely, Stanway Road, for anyone watching who wants to come and join in. I’m not advising you to, I’m advising you to stay away’. He celebrated acts of violence including someone throwing a petrol bomb and only stopped livestreaming when his phone ran out of battery. He was seen on body worn footage at the scene after midnight.

It was said Williams’ education was disrupted due to multiple hospital admissions, due to complex mental and physical needs. The defendant has suffered from serious mental health issues including suicidal ideation and two detainments under the Mental Health Act.

The defendant has a long standing relationship and has two daughters, and if imprisoned this would have an impact on his family. Williams has suffered a recent loss of sight which has exacerbated his anxiety and he has a heart condition which resulted in a pacemaker being fitted.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

Jordan Bratcher

Jordan Bratcher, 27, of Glyndwr Road, Ely, was a stone and missile thrower during the initial escalation of the riot. He arrived at the scene at 8.15pm with Jamie Jones. There was a confrontational crowd forming before the police line.

Bratcher was present but was not a part of that crowd. As police entered Stanway Road he became directly involved and was one of 12 plus involved in missile throwing in the initial flurry. He was one of several seen entering a garden, collecting stones and gravel that were thrown at police. He left the scene at 8.40pm and is not seen again.

The defendant is said to be a carer for his grandmother on a daily basis, and has struggles with his mental health.

He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, June 17.

James Chappell

James Chappell, 31, of Barry, was a thrower of missiles for a short period after 9pm. He appeared at the scene just before 8.15pm on Wilson Road as the riot starts to take hold.

A man can be heard commenting ‘They’re all battering them up there’ and Chappell responds ‘Yeah, good. I hope cops get hurt’. He is prevented from moving towards the cordon and gets in his car and drives around to Stanway Road. He exits and walks towards the cordon and mingles with the crowd.

At 9.10pm he joined in the violence by throwing several missiles in quick succession for three minutes before leaving the area.

Chappell had driven from his home in Barry to Ely with his partner and three daughters in order to visit his father in Stanway Road. Having dropped his partner and children and his father’s home, he went to the scene of the riot and was first seen at 8.14pm. The defendant decided to leave the scene and return to Barry with his family and “things were getting out of hand”.

The defendant was also said to be in ill health with a degenerative condition, which has left him unable to work.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

Zayne Farrugia

Zayne Farrugia, 26, of Heol Ebwy, Caerau, was a stone and missile thrower shortly after the initial escalation.

He was part of the group that remained close to the police once batons had been drawn and one of the first to enter a garden in Stanway Road to get stones to throw at police. He put stones in his pocket to throw at police. As officers surged up Stanway Road, he turned and threw stones as he retreated up the road.

Farrugia was said to have made “huge changes” in his life following the riots, including stopping his use of cannabis and getting into a position where he can find employment following the court proceedings. The defendant was said to have suffered from mental health struggles.

He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, June 18.

“Access to the arts should not be a privilege; it is a right.”

A Belfast theatre group have confirmed a substantial scaling back of its provision for young disabled audiences due to a severe funding gap, sparking serious worries about access to inclusive cultural experiences for some of society’s most marginalised individuals.

For more than ten years, Replay Theatre Company has stood at the forefront of developing groundbreaking, multi-sensory productions tailored exclusively for youngsters with disabilities. The organisation’s output has delivered not merely cultural participation, but vital chances for social interaction, expression, and individual growth.

Nevertheless, recent budget reductions and a lack of long-term financial backing have forced the company to curtail its activities. This encompasses fewer productions, restricted community engagement programmes, and the suspension of multiple expansion initiatives designed to broaden accessibility.

“This is an incredibly difficult moment for us,” said Brian Mullan, Chief Executive at Replay Theatre Company.

“Our work is built around inclusion and ensuring that young disabled people can experience theatre in a way that is meaningful to them. To reduce these services is heartbreaking, not just for us, but for the families and communities who rely on them.”

Parents and teaching professionals have consistently lauded Replay’s contributions for their life-changing influence. Numerous young participants supported by the organisation encounter considerable obstacles in accessing conventional cultural offerings, rendering Replay’s specialised provision all the more vital.

This personalised approach remains uniquely valuable.

The reduction in services risks creating a void that cannot easily be plugged. Without urgent investment, the long-term viability of accessible theatre provision hangs in the balance.

The funding crisis has also led to the redundancy of Replay Theatre Company’s Director of Inclusive Theatre, a position that has been pivotal to the development and delivery of the company’s specialist work with disabled children and young people.

This represents a considerable blow, both for Replay and for the broader field of inclusive theatre. The role was held by Andrew Stanford, a highly regarded practitioner who has devoted the past ten years to crafting pioneering theatre experiences for disabled children and young people.

Throughout his tenure at Replay, Andrew firmly established himself as an internationally acclaimed authority in inclusive theatre practice, most recently spearheading Replay’s international partnership with two Swedish production companies to bring ROTVISKA to life.

Brian Mullan added: “We are deeply saddened to lose both this role and the expertise it represents.

“Andrew has made an extraordinary contribution to Replay, to disabled young audiences, and to the development of inclusive theatre nationally and internationally. His work has demonstrated what is possible when specialist skills, creativity and sustained investment come together. While Replay remains committed to inclusive practice, the loss of this dedicated role reflects the growing challenges of maintaining a full-time programme of specialist theatre provision for disabled children and young people within the current funding landscape.”

Replay Theatre Company conveyed its heartfelt thanks to Andrew for his outstanding dedication over the past decade, expressing hopes to work alongside him once more in the future.

The company is now urging public bodies, private funders, and community partners to acknowledge the significance of inclusive arts and take meaningful steps to safeguard its future.

“We are committed to continuing our work in whatever capacity we can,” Brian added.

“But we can not do this alone. Access to the arts should not be a privilege, it is a right.”

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