Woman found guilty of arson during Bristol Kill the Bill riot

A protester accused of leading an attack on a Bristol police station has been found guilty of arson.

Jasmine York, 26, led the crowds in chants of “f*** the f****** feds” and “Whose streets? Our streets?” as the violence unfolded on March 21 last year.

York was attending a vigil for Sarah Everard at around 2pm that afternoon, but joined crowds marching to Bridewell police station to protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

She live streamed the protest from her phone and was also filmed helping to push a bin towards a burning police car – seemingly to add fuel to the blaze.

Prosecutors had alleged York was a “leader and an instigator” of the disorder that day and she was standing trial accused of riot and arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court acquitted York of the two charges she faced, but convicted her of an alternative charge of arson.

York denied wrongdoing, claiming she had placed herself between the crowd and officers because she knew she would not retaliate in the face of police violence.

• Watch CCTV footage of Jasmine York pushing a bin near a burning police car on 21 March last year.

She suffered a dog bite and several baton strikes during the protest, the court heard.

During the trial, two officers present during the riot described how they had been pelted with bricks and bottles, and how protesters had tried to drag them from the police line.

Sergeant Lucy Williams said she was “terrified” during the incident, adding: “I think it was hard to see at the point where it was going to end.”

Sergeant Nick Smart said: “It felt like a mob mentality where there was a risk of the crowd surging forwards.”

In her evidence, York said she had filmed the riot for the safety of others and denied being violent.

“When you make a report of violence people don’t always believe you, so filming is important for that reason,” she said.

York continued: “I’ve been taught not to respond to violence with violence so I am quite a good person to have around – especially as it was quite a young crowd there.”

The defendant added: “I just wanted to film for the safety of others.”

She admitted that her chants describing the police as “b******s” and “f*** the f****** feds” were “a bit rude”.

Following the conviction, Russell Fraser, defending, asked for probation and psychiatric reports to be prepared.

Judge James Patrick ordered the reports and released York, of Arnos Vale in Bristol on unconditional until she is sentenced on March 14.

“A custodial sentence remains a possibility,” he said.

“Please co-operate with probation and the psychiatrist. If there are no reports on March 14 and it is your fault, I will sentence you without.”