Sentencing follows June 2025 disorder that displaced families
A Ballymena man has been jailed after admitting his part in one of the most serious episodes of public disorder the town has seen in recent years. The 44-year-old was handed a one-year prison term at Belfast Crown Court after pleading guilty to a charge of riot relating to disturbances in June 2025 that police described as racially motivated.
Court reports say the unrest unfolded over several nights and included attacks on the homes of foreign nationals. Although there were no fatalities, some residents suffered smoke inhalation when properties were set alight and a total of eight families were forced to leave their homes.
Role identified on police footage
The defendant was identified on police footage taken on the evening of 10 June 2025, when hundreds of people had gathered in the Clonavon area of Ballymena. Prosecutors told the court he was seen moving to the front of the crowd and towards police lines, where masked individuals erected a barricade in front of PSNI vehicles and began throwing missiles at officers.
According to the court account, the man supplied bottles from a bag to other members of the crowd, removed two bottles and threw them at police. He was said to have then placed the bag down and walked back into the crowd. Over the course of the wider disturbances, officers were attacked with petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry, with more than 50 police officers reported injured.
Sentence and licence conditions
Judge Laura Ievers KC imposed a custodial term of one year for the rioting offence. On release, the man will be subject to a further two years on supervised licence.
- Offence: Admitted rioting on 10 June 2025
- Sentence: One year in prison
- Post-release: Two years on supervised licence
- Location: Clonavon area, Ballymena
- Impact: Homes of foreign nationals attacked; eight families displaced; over 50 officers injured
He admitted a charge of rioting on June 10 last year.
Police identification and investigation
Following the disturbances, police reviewed footage and issued a series of images to help identify those involved. The Crown Court heard that police made extensive efforts over a ten-day period to locate the man after he was identified on the recordings.
The scenes in June 2025 followed what the court was told had been a spike in public disorder, described as aggravated by hostility towards ethnic groups. The scale of the disorder across three consecutive nights prompted a major policing and judicial response.
Local consequences and wider context
The events left a mark on the town. With families displaced and homes damaged by fire, the episode raised serious concerns about community relations and the safety of minority residents. The number of officers injured — reported to exceed 50 during the period of disorder — underlined the severity of the confrontations between crowds and the police.
| Detail | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Families displaced | 8 |
| Police officers injured | Over 50 |
| Sentence | 1 year custody + 2 years supervised licence |
The court proceedings form part of a wider effort to hold to account those involved in the disorder. Local residents and community leaders have previously spoken about the need to restore calm and rebuild trust in the aftermath of the disturbances. The sentencing represents one element of the criminal justice response to the events but does not on its own address the wider social and community challenges highlighted by the unrest.
Police enquiries into the incidents in June 2025 continued after the sentencing, as authorities seek to identify and prosecute others involved in the disorder.
