Two men admit setting fire to bus during disorder in Leeds

Mark Mitchell and Milan Zamostny both pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

A burnt out car in the Leeds suburb of Harehills (Katie Dickinson/PA) (PA Wire)

Two men have admitted setting fire to a bus during disorder in a Leeds suburb.

During the unrest in Harehills on July 18, which was sparked by children from a local family being taken into care, a patrol car was overturned and a bus set alight, and passengers were forced to flee.

On Thursday Mark Mitchell, 34, and Milan Zamostny, 30, both pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

Zamostny, of Luxor Avenue, also admitted a charge of violent disorder at Leeds Crown Court.

Mitchell, of Strathmore View, pleaded guilty to the same charge at an earlier hearing.

Both men were remanded in custody until their sentencing on October 1.

Judge Guy Kearl KC, the Recorder of Leeds, told them it was “almost inevitable that an immediate custodial sentence will be passed”.

The court heard that Zamostny, who followed proceedings with the help of a Romanian interpreter, has learning difficulties and there were “suggestions” he had been trafficked into the UK as a teenager.

Earlier this month, Iustin Dobre, 37, also pleaded guilty to one count of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered over the bus fire.

We welcome these guilty pleas and continue to work to bring all those involved in July’s disorder in Harehills before the courts to face justice ... There is no hiding place from the law for those who become involved in disorder in West Yorkshire

Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller

On Thursday, Dobre also pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder.

On Wednesday, Celan Valentin Palaghia, 21, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson after setting fire to furniture during the Harehills disorder.

Assistant Chief Constable Damien Miller, from West Yorkshire Police, said: “We welcome these guilty pleas and continue to work to bring all those involved in July’s disorder in Harehills before the courts to face justice.

“I want to reassure residents that we continue to make use of every technological tool available to us to identify those responsible, including facial recognition technology which was used by officers to identify Iustin Dobre.

“There is no hiding place from the law for those who become involved in disorder in West Yorkshire.”