Men jailed over disorder in street riot after four children taken into care

By Katie Dickinson, Reporter5th April 2025News EnglandChild Protection, Childrens Services, Courts / Justice, Looked After Children, News England, Yorkshire

A father-of-four who threw a bag of fireworks onto a street fire during rioting in Leeds last summer has been jailed for 20 months.

The suburb of Harehills erupted into violence on July 18 after four children from a Roma family were taken into care, with the disorder resulting in double-decker bus set alight and a police car overturned.

Window cleaner Alfie Robinson, 25, got involved after noticing smoke from the street while having a barbecue with his partner, throwing wooden pallets and cardboard onto a fire that had been started on Harehills Road.

Leeds Crown Court heard he then threw a carrier bag full of fireworks onto the blaze, which exploded and caused sparks to fly into the crowd.

On Friday, Robinson (pictured left) was jailed for a year and eight months after pleading guilty to violent disorder and arson.

The court heard as violence engulfed the streets of Harehills after an incident with social services and a local family, a van was stopped by the crowd and the contents were taken out and set on fire.

Robinson, who was bare-chested during most of the CCTV footage, could be seen at around 9pm carrying two wooden pallets towards the blaze and throwing them on, with the help of another man.

After being seen getting into a confrontation with another man, the defendant picked up a large cardboard box and threw it onto the fire, the court heard.

He returned to the blaze at 9.46pm, marching towards it and talking to a man carrying a blue carrier bag.

Robinson threw the bag, which contained fireworks, onto the fire and ran away as sparks flew and caused the crowd to back away.

The court heard when Robinson was interviewed by police, he initially denied throwing the bag but cried when he was shown the CCTV footage and told officers he had been “doing some dumb shit”.

He said he had been having a barbecue with his partner when he noticed the smoke, but did not get involved intending to harm any police officers.

A judge was told the single night of disorder cost the police £276,000, the fire service £23,000 and the council £12,000.

In mitigation, the court heard Robinson “has gainful employment” and supports his partner and their four children, who are all under the age of five.

Jailing Robinson, Judge Guy Kearl, the Recorder of Leeds, told him: “This incident brought shame upon the area of Harehills, where many law-abiding citizens live.

“People were in their houses, frightened by the disorder. The damage was extensive.”

Robinson, of Cowper Street, Chapeltown, was the second man to be sentenced this week for his role in the disorder.

West Yorkshire Police said George Dumitrescu (pictured right), 26, from Sandhurst Terrace, who admitted violent disorder at a previous hearing, was sentenced on Thursday to two years and four months in jail.