Ringleader, 18, of Leeds Bonfire Night riots is jailed for 16 months

Ringleader of Bonfire Night riots who was just 15 when gang of youths hurled fireworks, bricks and stones at police, leaving six injured, in a five-hour standoff is jailed for 16 months

• Alex Stoian, 18, led a bonfire night riot in Leeds, West Yorks, injuring six officers 
• He fled the country but was arrested last month checking in at Liverpool Airport

The ringleader of a bonfire night riot that saw ‘sickening’ firework attacks on police and left six officers injured has been jailed, four years after the disorder.

Romanian-born Alex Stoian was just 15 when he boasted about ‘sticking his d*ck into England’ while spearheading a violent five-hour stand off against cops.

The disorder broke out on November 5, 2019, when riot police armed with shields were bombarded with fireworks in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

It came as teens across the country fired rockets and hurled bricks at police after lighting makeshift fires.

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.

Romanian-born Alex Stoian (pictured, now age 18) boasted about ‘sticking his d*ck into England’ while spearheading a violent five-hour stand off against cops

The disorder broke out on November 5, 2019, when riot police armed with shields were bombarded with fireworks in Leeds, West Yorkshire

It came as teens across the country fired rockets and hurled bricks at police after lighting makeshift fires

Stoian, now 18, was among those who descended on the Harehills area of the city had then attacked officers, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Video from the evening shows teens torching bins and cardboard in the middle of roads, which the rioters then used to light fireworks that they aimed at police.

While helicopter footage revealed how officers, carrying shields and protective equipment, were forced to retreat as youth pelted them with incendiary devices.

Stoian fled the country following the riots but was arrested at Liverpool Airport last year as he returned Britain.

He was sentenced yesterday for 16 months in a young offenders institute after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Another defendant, Romanian Boboc Ionut, now 21, pleaded guilty to the same offence and was given 15 months imprisonment at the joint hearing.

Prosecutor Tom Storey said police were called to Harehills Road and Banstead Park after reports that youths were throwing fireworks.

And when officers arrived in riot gear, they were pelted with the fireworks, along with chunks of concrete and stones, the court heard.

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

Video from the evening shows teens torching bins and cardboard in the middle of roads, which the rioters then used to light fireworks that they aimed at police

Makeshift barricades were built by the rioters from wheelie bins and bread crates as officers tried to suppress the chaos

While helicopter footage revealed how officers, carrying shields and protective equipment, were forced to retreat as youth pelted them with incendiary devices

Makeshift barricades were built by the rioters from wheelie bins and bread crates as officers tried to suppress the chaos.

But the culprits, who were not all from the Harehills area, were heard cheering as missiles struck officers or fireworks exploded near them.

Mr Storey said footage from police and mobile phones shared across social media put Stoian in the thick of the disorder.

And he said the teen had boasted online about his antics, saying he was ‘sticking his d*** into England’.

Both Stoian and Ionut, from Leeds, were arrested in the hours that followed and gave no-comment interviews.

They were later released pending further investigations before they fled the country.

Mitigating for dad-of-two Stoian, Mr Martin Morrow said his client was ‘entirely realistic’ about receiving a prison sentence.

For Ionut, Mr Sean Smith said his client now also has two children, and he pointed out his client’s young age at the time and his acceptance of his role.

However, Judge Batiste told the pair they’d participated in ‘wanton violence’ during the riots, which had led to ‘large-scale public disorder’.

He said: ‘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 can’t help but be horrified and sickened by the way you and the crowd behaved.

‘This was serious and large-scale public disorder.’

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