Two men jailed after fight at Leeds protests

Sameer Ali (left) and Adnan Ghafoor (right) were both sentenced on Friday

Two men from Leeds have been jailed after pleading guilty to affray following a protest.

Sameer Ali, of West Park Drive, West Park, and Adnan Ghafoor, of Spen Bank, West Park, were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

The offences took place following an anti-immigration protest and a counter- demonstration in Leeds city centre on 3 August.

Ali, 21, was jailed for 20 months, while Ghafoor, 31, received a two-and-a-half-year sentence after the court heard he had breached a suspended sentence for driving offences.

'Leading role'

Ali and Ghafoor, who were not known to each other, had been walking in a group of about 17 people at about 16:40 BST after leaving the Headrow following the demonstrations outside Leeds Art Gallery.

As they were walking, they encountered a group of four men on Great George Street, two of whom were draped in Union Jack flags while a third was wearing a Union Jack mask.

Ali's solicitor, Graham O'Sullivan, said his client claimed a fight started when racist comments were made by one of the four men.

CCTV footage played to the court showed Ali punching two of them before grabbing another man's flag and attacking him. He then returned to the other men and continued to attack them.

Prosecutor Heather Gilmour said Ali played a "leading role" in the violence, while Ghafoor had hit one member of the group three times when he was in a chokehold.

Ali and Ghafoor were both sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday

Defending Ali, Mr O'Sullivan said his client, who had no previous convictions, was "provoked in this case by Islamophobic threats and abuse".

Ali appeared in court via video link from HMP Lincoln. He showed no emotion throughout the hearing.

Mr O'Sullivan said his client "recognises that what he did was very wrong" and said the backdrop to the offence, amid recent heightened racial tensions throughout the UK, "gives some explanation as to how he would behave this way, so out of character".

The Recorder of Leeds, His Honour Judge Guy Kearl, said it was not clear to him which group instigated the conflict.

He told Ali: "You walked away down the centre of the road, laughing and congratulating yourself and others in your group, turning towards those whom you had attacked with your arms out wide as you left through the traffic, which had stopped as a result of the disorder."

'Moment of madness'

The court heard Ghafoor, a personal trainer, had two previous convictions for racially or religiously aggravated common assault and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

In April, he was given a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for dangerous driving.

His solicitor, Frances Penchton, said her client, who has an 18-month-old child, "simply allowed himself to get caught up in a situation which unfolded and ended within 30 seconds".

His behaviour had been "a short-lived moment of madness", she added.

Both men handed themselves in to police on Monday.

Judge Kearl said Ghafoor had "targeted a male who was being restrained by others and aimed punches at his head and body".

"You then walked off, waving to the white males, inviting further confrontation," he added.

Judge Kearl said Ali and Ghafoor's actions contributed to "a heightened state of public concern and anxiety".

He told the court: "Given the nationwide context of the violence and in order to provide punishment and deterrence in accordance with the overarching principles of sentencing, severe sentences will follow for those found to have participated in incidents of violence."

Jordan Plain, from Horsforth, made racist gestures at Saturday's protest, the court heard

Meanwhile, another man was jailed for eight months at Leeds Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to using threatening or abusive words or behaviour with intent to cause alarm or distress at the same protest.

The court heart that Jordan Plain, 30, from Horsforth, had made monkey noises and other racist gestures towards Sarata Sawo.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Sawo told the court: "Many people have defended Jordan for what he did to me and said it was right. It was not right.

"I was born in Leeds and I have lived here my whole life. It's such a beautiful, diverse city.

"I don't even feel welcome in my own home. I don't even feel safe in my own house or area."

Ms Sawo, a full-time student, said she had taken time off work because of the impact of the incident.

Plain, who the court heard had an eight-year-old child with a woman of mixed-race heritage, had been in attendance at an English Defence League protest on Saturday, Ms Gilmour said.

He had numerous previous convictions, including for racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage and fear or provocation of violence, the court was told.

'Genuine remorse'

A probation officer said Plain had been drinking on the day of the protest and had been "binge drinking" while unemployed and in receipt of state benefits, having previously worked as a roofer.

He had told a probation interview he was "ashamed" of his behaviour and added: "I don't want to make any excuses for what I have done."

Defending, Mike Walsh said his client had shown "genuine remorse, not just because he's finding himself in custody".

Judge Kearl told Plain: "Given the context in which this incident occurred and the sustained nature of your conduct, which was designed to stir up racial hatred at a time of heightened social tension, an immediate custodial sentence cannot be avoided."

Like Ali and Ghafoor, he was told he must serve half of his sentence before he could be released on licence.

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