A rioter cried in the dock on Friday as he was handed a 27-month sentence for what a judge said was his “full and active part in burning two cars” during public disorder in Belfast.

Reece Dunnett (25), of Vorlich Way, Dunfermline in Scotland, had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of rioting and two counts of criminal damage by destroying two cars.

Belfast Crown Court heard rioting erupted across Belfast in August 2024 in reaction to the events in Southport, Liverpool, when three young children were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.

Prosecution barrister Mark O’Hara played CCTV footage to the court of public disorder that broke out in the Sandy Row/Donegall Road area in south Belfast on August 3rd, 2024.

He told Judge Gordon Kerr KC that Dunnett was identified from the footage dressed in black shorts and a blue hoodie top with his face concealed.

The footage showed the defendant helping a crowd to push over a black Vauxhall Astra car before it was set alight.

O’Hara said Dunnett played a similar role in an attack on a white Suzuki Alto car which was destroyed by fire.

The prosecutor said that during an interview with a probation officer Dunnett tried to minimise his role, saying he was not involved in causing damage to the cars.

Defence barrister Michael Boyd described the rioting as “outrageous”.

“We all saw the footage at the time on the news. What he has pleaded guilty to has clearly crossed the custody threshold,’’ said Boyd.

He said Dunnett was working in Northern Ireland at the time of the rioting and got “caught up’’ in events.

He described Dunnett’s behaviour on the evening of August 3rd as “opportunistic, impulsive and reactive”.

The judge said Dunnett had been at the scene of public disorder for around 2½ hours and played a “full and active part in burning two cars”.

“We have seen on the video some of the activity involved in this case,” the judge said.

“The only way to deal with such persons is by immediate custodial sentences.”

Handing down the sentence, divided equally between custody and supervised licence, the judge said it would be up to Dunnett to decide if he wanted to apply to the prison authorities to serve part of his sentence in Scotland “in ease of his family”.

Dunnett started crying in the dock as the sentence was imposed before he was led away in handcuffs by prison staff.