Four men jailed over roles in Harehills riot

• Video report by Katie Oscroft

Four men have been jailed for their roles in rioting which left "deep cultural and social wounds" after a child protection issue sparked widespread disorder.

Trouble broke out in the Harehills area of Leeds on the night of 18 July when social workers faced hostility as they attempted to take four children into care.

Police called to help were forced to retreat as they came under attack, a patrol car was overturned and a double decker bus was set alight as disorder continued for several hours.

On Tuesday, 1 October, Iustin Dobre, Mark Mitchell, Milan Zamostny and Celan Valentin Palaghia all appeared at Leeds Crown Court for sentencing.

Opening the case, prosecutor Richard Holland referred to a statement which said: "Deep cultural and social wounds were caused that night."

Referring to the incident in which the bus was set alight he said: "It was stopped by a crowd and forced to end its route.

"Its drivers and passengers were forced to run away and leave the bus to the growing crowd.

"Bricks were thrown at the windows and members of the crowd began to surround it and set fire to various parts."

The court heard Dobre, Mitchell and Zamonsty were among those responsible for the incident involving the bus.

Footage showed Dobre helping to tip over the police vehicle and later holding a lighter to the back seat of the bus. The footage was widely shared online.

Zamonsty was seen throwing items, including a table, at the bus to fuel the fire.

Mr Holland said: "In summary, [he was] there for many hours, throwing missiles at the bus, putting items onto the bus to encourage it to burn and even as the bus is a shell, feeding the fire with many items including bins and a sofa."

Mitchell was seen with a group of people trying to set rubbish alight and throwing it at the bus.

In a statement First bus company said staff had suffered an immeasurable "psychological and emotional impact".

It said: "We have supported our driver, but this incident certainly had an impact on him and he has remained off work... It is a possibility he may not return and we may lose him as a result.

"The team spent many weeks afterwards supporting drivers who expressed concerns about driving these routes."

Palaghia was not involved in setting the bus alight but was involved in starting another fire.

The court heard the cost of policing the violence was an estimated £276,000, on top of the cost of repairing damaged vehicles.

The cost to the bus company was estimated at £500,000.

None of the four men were involved with the family at the centre of the initial child protection matter.

The judge, Tom Bayliss KC, told them: "What happened that summer evening serves as a chilling example of how a violent, anarchic mob can, with astonishing ease, achieve complete lawlessness.

"It also offers a dystopian vision of what can happen when the rule of law is subverted by mob violence."

Dobre, 37, of Clifton Mount, Leeds, admitted arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He was jailed for six years.

Mitchell, 34, of Strathmore View, and Milan Zamostny, 30, of Luxor Avenue, both pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered and violent disorder. Mitchell received a six-year sentence. Zamostny was jailed for five years and four months.

Palaghia, 21, admitted violent disorder and arson. He was jailed for three years.

Forty-one people have so far been arrested following the incident in Harehills.

Ch Supt Steve Dodds, Leeds police commander, said: “The disorder which took place in Harehills earlier this summer was shameful. It saw these men and others engage in disgraceful acts which harmed the very communities in which they lived."

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