Rioters in court over Ardoyne trouble
Over 20 people, including a number of teenagers, have appeared in court in Belfast in connection with rioting in Ardoyne following an Orange Order band parade on 12 July last year.
Three nights of trouble flared at the sectarian interface at Ardoyne shops in the north of the city.
Eighty police officers were injured during the riots.
A female police officer was seriously hurt when a breeze block was thrown on her head from the shop fronts.
Four defendants failed to appear, but have been given until Friday to surrender to their bail or face the possibility of re-arrest.
For convenience not all those facing arraignment on the bill of indictment, containing a total of nine charges, ranging from riotous assembly, criminal damage, throwing petrol bombs to causing grievous bodily harm to a policewoman, were dealt with together.
Initially seven defendants pleaded guilty to charges of having “riotously assembled together” on July 12 last year.
However, one of them, also admitted rioting again two days later on 14 July, and throwing a petrol bomb on the same date.
They are to reappear at a later date.
