First person to be sentenced in connection with the summer riots in the Ballymena area

A Ballymena man who was an “active and persistent participant” in riots “aggravated on the basis of hostility of race,” was handed a four-year sentence yesterday.

While 100 people have been arrested and 91 charged in connection with the summer riots, Jake Quigley is the first defendant to be sentenced in the Crown Court.

placeholder image — Jake Quigley (21) from Ballymena was sentenced for his role during the sustained race-motivated disorder in Ballymena on 9th June. He was given a two year custodial sentence and two years on licence. Picture: PSNI

Ordering the 21-year-old to serve two years in jail and a further two years under supervised licence conditions, Judge Philip Gilpin told the defendant while he was not a leader or instigator, he had been “an active and persistent participant in the disorder”.

The Antrim Crown Court judge said he was satisfied the rioting in general, involving hundreds of people over three consecutive nights in the Ballymena area alone, “is aggravated by reason of hostility based on race”.

That aggravating factor also applied specifically to Quigley’s role, said Judge Gilpin.

Quigley, from Drumtara in the town, entered guilty pleas to a total of three offences including riot, causing criminal damage to a property on Clonavon Terrace and causing damage to two police vehicles, all committed on June 9 2025.

The judge said that over three nights of disorder, 20 homes were attacked, eight families were displaced, including a pregnant woman and her child who suffered smoke inhalation when their home was set on fire, and more than 50 police officers were injured, some of them seriously.

The rioting “had a serious impact on the police capacity to police effectively and to keep people safe.”

Turning to Quigley’s offending, Judge Gilpin said he surrendered himself to police after images were released to the public in an appeal for information.

He told the court it was clear from the footage obtained and recorded by police, the defendant was able to be identified due to his distinctive tracksuit, trainers and from carrying a red golf umbrella.

That footage, the court heard, had recorded Quigley:

l Using the umbrella to smash windows of a home on Clonavon Terrace;

l Standing in front of a burning barricade, “laughing” along with other rioters;

l entering another property which had been broken into;

l Throwing several pieces of masonry at police;

l Smashing the rear window of one police vehicle;

l Damaging the front headlight of a second police vehicle.

After Quigley handed himself in to police, he made “full admissions during interviews” and told police that having received a message about a peaceful protest over a teenage girl being sexually attacked, he decided to attend.

Quigley maintained that he had no intention of getting involved in anything illegal, but when someone in the crowd shouted that the property on Clonavon Terrace was connected with the alleged sex attack, he “let his heart rule his head” and he used the umbrella to break the windows.

Judge Gilpin said given Quigley’s actions, the fact that he was an active participant for around 100 minutes, throwing items himself and handing missiles to other rioters for them to throw, he was assessing both the harm caused and the defendant’s culpability, as high.