'Ringleader' of Harehills Bonfire Night riots finally jailed for 'sickening' firework attacks on police

The terrifying large-scale disorder gripped the Leeds community on November 5, 2019 and made headlines across Britain as youths hurled fireworks, bricks and stones at police, injuring six officers. The eventual cost of the five-hour stand-off ran to more than £200,000, including the damage caused, the clean up and the lengthy investigation that followed.

At just 15-year-old at the time, Romanian-born Alex Stoian was identified as one of those at the forefront of the violence and chaos. He was handed 16 months’ detention at a young offenders institution today at Leeds Crown Court, having fled the country after that night.

He was arrested arriving back at Liverpool Airport last year. Prosecutor Tom Storey said footage from police and from mobile phones shared across social media put him in the thick of the disorder. He also boasted online about his antics, saying he was "sticking his d*** into England”.

Jailing the now 18-year-old, Judge Simon Batiste said of all the defendants he had previously dealt with, his role was the “most grave”.

A second defendant, Boboc Ionut, also Romanian, was also jailed for 15 months today. He too had fled the country and was arrested last year back in Harehills when police came across him while investigating another unrelated matter. He was 17 at the time and is now 21.

They had both pleaded guilty to violent disorder and appeared in the dock side by side. Others have been previously jailed for their part.

Police had been called to Harehills Road and Banstead Park on the evening of November 5 after reports that unruly youths were throwing fireworks, pushing wheelie bins into the road and torching them. Officers arrived in riot gear and were pelted with the fireworks, along with chunks of concrete and stones, the court heard.

Makeshift barricades were built by the rioters, made up of wheelie bins and bread crates as officers tried to suppress the chaos. The culprits, who were not all from the Harehills area, cheered as the missiles struck officers of fireworks exploded near them.

Passing buses also came under attack with windows being smashed, while a lit firework was thrown through a bookmakers’ door.

Both Stoian, of Harehills Lane, Harehills and Ionut, of Nowell Mount, Harehills, were arrested in the hours that followed and gave no-comment interviews. They were later released pending further investigations before fleeing the country.

Mitigating for father-of-two Stoian, Martin Morrow said his client was “entirely realistic” about receiving a prison sentence. For Ionut, Sean Smith said his client now also has two children. Like Mr Morrow, he pointed out his client’s young age at the time and their acceptance of their roles.

Judge Batiste told them: “Bonfire Night is an occasion when people gather to celebrate historical British events and should be a night for families, children and fun. Instead, you decided to use the occasion to engage in wanton violence.

"Anyone who has watched the CCTV footage cant help but be horrified and sickened by the way you and the crowd behaved. This was serious and large-scale public disorder.”