Two Men Sentenced Over Halloween and Bonfire Night Disorder Edinburgh 2024

Key Points

• Edinburgh Sheriff Court sentenced 19-year-old Jamie Hogg to 18 months in custody and issued a 12-month Restriction of Liberty Order to 22-year-old Kevin Lankiewicz.
• The two men took part in disorder across Moredun, Little France, and Calder Road, throwing and firing pyrotechnics at pedestrians, emergency vehicles, and homes.
• Hogg smashed a window at a Moredun Park Road shop with a brick and joined in damaging Moredun House, Marytree House, and other residential blocks.
• The court applied statutory aggravations because the offences involved targeting emergency service personnel with fireworks and committing crimes while on bail.
• Police Scotland based the prosecutions on evidence gathered by Operation Crackle, a specialized team set up to tackle seasonal public order crimes.

Edinburgh (Edinburgh Daily) September 17, 2026 – Two men involved in widespread, violent public disorder involving fireworks, missiles, and commercial property destruction across Edinburgh during Halloween and Bonfire Night in 2024 have been formally sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Sheriff Campbell imposed an 18-month custodial sentence on 19-year-old Jamie Hogg and handed a 12-month Restriction of Liberty Order to 22-year-old Kevin Lankiewicz following guilty pleas tendered at a continued First Diet.

The court proceedings address prolonged criminal conduct that terrorised local residents, endangered emergency service personnel, and caused thousands of pounds in commercial property damage across the Scottish capital.

As detailed in official sentencing statements released by Judiciary Scotland, Sheriff Campbell outlined the severity of the offenses, noting that Hogg participated in “two prolonged episodes of public disorder, involving the reckless discharge of fireworks towards people and buildings in Edinburgh on separate days in October and November 2024”.

What Specific Offences Were Committed During the 2024 Disturbances?

As outlined in official court documents and confirmed by judicial records from Judiciary Scotland, Jamie Hogg participated in violent mob behavior on both October 31 and November 5, 2024. On Halloween night, Hogg formed part of a hostile mob that caused extensive physical damage to the exteriors of Moredun House, Marytree House, and Little France residences. During this incident, the group set off pyrotechnics indiscriminately and hurled rocks at windows. In one severe instance highlighted by the presiding Sheriff, a pyrotechnic was set off inside the foyer of a residential block of flats, creating an extreme fire hazard for inhabitants.

As reported in sentencing records from Judiciary Scotland, Sheriff Campbell detailed Hogg’s further actions on Bonfire Night alongside co-defendant Kevin Lankiewicz at a convenience store on Moredun Park Road. The court heard that as an unknown individual threw a brick at the shop’s front door, causing the glass to shatter, Hogg retrieved the brick and repeatedly smashed it into the door until the pane was completely broken. Furthermore, pyrotechnics were repeatedly directed at passing motor vehicles, members of the public, and responding police vehicles.

As reported by Scottish legal correspondents covering the Lothian and Borders Procurator Fiscal findings, interim procurator fiscal Neil Almond stated that: “The behavior of this individual as part of these groups can only be described as lawless, dangerous and reprehensible. Significant damage was caused to property, running into thousands of pounds”.

How Did the Court Determine the Sentences for Hogg and Lankiewicz?

In delivering the verdicts at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Sheriff Campbell confirmed that Hogg’s convictions carried a statutory aggravation due to the deliberate targeting of emergency service personnel with pyrotechnic weapons. According to judicial transcripts published by Judiciary Scotland, Sheriff Campbell stated to Hogg: “I consider that a headline sentence of twenty-four months’ detention is fair and proportionate. The plea was tendered at a continued first diet. Accordingly, that will be reduced to eighteen months’ detention”. The Sheriff noted that two months of the total term were explicitly attributable to the statutory emergency worker aggravation.

Regarding 22-year-old Kevin Lankiewicz, who pled guilty to active participation in the Bonfire Night disturbances, the court opted against a custodial sentence due to demonstrable evidence of personal rehabilitation. As recorded by Judiciary Scotland, Sheriff Campbell noted that Lankiewicz had severed ties with negative peer groups, relocated to Glasgow, secured full-time employment, and maintained drug sobriety.

Addressing Lankiewicz directly, Sheriff Campbell stated: “While your culpability is high, as was the harm, I am satisfied that in your case there is an alternative to a custodial sentence, and that both punishment and rehabilitation can sufficiently be provided in the community”. Lankiewicz was placed under a 12-month Restriction of Liberty Order, requiring him to remain inside his home address between 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM daily, monitored electronically via an ankle tag.

What Was the Response from Police Scotland and Prosecutorial Authorities?

Following the court outcome, police leadership emphasized the significance of the sentences in deterring future seasonal violence. As reported by Police Scotland media representatives, Inspector Stevie Dick of the Edinburgh Division stated that: “In 2024 we saw various incidents of unacceptable disorder and violence across the city during the Halloween and Bonfire Night period and both Hogg and Lankiewicz played a significant role in the offences experienced within the Moredun area”. Inspector Dick added that the convictions serve as “a timely reminder ahead of Bonfire Night 2026 that we will utilise all resources at our disposal to bring those responsible for such offences to justice”.

As recorded in reports from STV News journalist John-Paul Clark regarding related Operation Crackle prosecutions, Police Scotland Chief Superintendent David Robertson previously noted: “Police officers and other emergency service workers do not come to work to be attacked, and the level of violence directed towards them during Halloween and Bonfire Night was wholly unacceptable”. Authorities confirmed that extensive CCTV footage, public video submissions, and forensic gathering formed the foundation of the charges brought against multiple individuals across Lothian and Borders.

Background of the Particular Development

The convictions of Hogg and Lankiewicz represent the culmination of a multi-year enforcement drive by Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to address systemic, high-volume seasonal violence in Edinburgh. Over consecutive years—

most notably during the autumns of 2022, 2023, and 2024—specific Edinburgh suburbs including Niddrie, Calder Road, Gracemount, and Moredun experienced severe public order breakdowns. During these periods, organised groups of youths utilised industrial-grade fireworks, petrol bombs, and heavy brickwork as weapons against public transport vehicles, commercial businesses, and public order police officers.

In response to the autumn 2024 disorder—which saw buses suspended, local businesses damaged, and petrol station forecourts directly targeted with live pyrotechnics—Police Scotland established Operation Crackle. This dedicated investigative taskforce utilized high-definition CCTV analysis, vehicle seizures, search warrants, and public evidence portals to identify suspects.

Over 60 individuals were reported to procurators fiscal across Scotland in connection with the 2024 seasonal disturbances. The Scottish Government subsequently reinforced legislation under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, introducing specific criminal aggravators for attacking emergency workers and granting local authorities powers to implement strict Firework Control Zones.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Local Communities and Emergency Services

This judicial outcome is expected to establish a strong legal precedent ahead of the autumn 2026 public order period, impacting several key stakeholder groups:

• Impact on Local Residents and Business Owners: The custodial sentencing of primary instigators provides tangible legal accountability for communities in South and West Edinburgh that have historically suffered severe seasonal disruption. Commercial operators, public transit providers (such as Lothian Buses), and local shopkeepers can anticipate firmer protection as police actively enforce court-ordered curfews and electronic monitoring on repeat offenders.
• Impact on Emergency Workers and First Responders: The explicit addition of judicial aggravators carrying mandatory custodial weight for attacking emergency workers reinforces workplace protections for Police Scotland officers, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews, and ambulance personnel. First responders operating during public holidays will see stronger prosecutorial backing when dealing with targeted pyrotechnic attacks.
• Impact on Youth Offenders and Future Deterrence: For prospective offenders and youth cohorts, the severe sentences—ranging from long-term electronic tagging to prison detention—serve as an explicit warning regarding the lasting criminal consequences of mobbing, rioting, and pyrotechnic misuse. Prosecutors have made clear that participation in coordinated public disorder will permanently restrict employment opportunities, personal liberty, and international travel.