Three men found guilty of arson and violent disorder after setting bus alight during Harehills riots

Three men have been found guilty of arson and violent disorder after setting a double decker bus alight during the Harehills riots.

Trouble broke out after social services were called to deal with a child protection issue on Luxor Street in Harehills on July 18.

Tensions spilled over after police arrived to provide back-up.

Over the course of several hours, large crowds gathered, police were attacked with missiles and several fires were started.

Mark Mitchell, 34, Milan Zamostny, 30, and Iustin Dobre, 37, all pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, and violent disorder.

As Zamostny pleaded guilty to violent disorder, with the help of an interpreter, he told the judge "I was just standing there while other people threw things."

The court heard there were "suggestions" he had been trafficked into the UK as a teenager.

Judge Guy Kearl KC told the trio it was "almost inevitable" that they would be handed an immediate jail sentence.

All three men will be sentenced on October 1.

West Yorkshire Police welcomed the pleas, and said it's using every technology available, including facial recognition, which it used to identify Dobre.

He was caught on video holding a lighter to a bus.

Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller said: "I want to reassure residents that we continue to make use of every technological tool available to us to identify those responsible, including facial recognition technology.

"There is no hiding place from the law for those who become involved in disorder in West Yorkshire."

There have now been 32 arrests and four guilty pleas in relation to the widespread disorder.

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