Man cries after pleading guilty to Harehills arson

A bus was set alight and a police car flipped during the violence in Harehills last year

A man has been told he could face jail for setting fire to cardboard and packaging during a night of unrest in Leeds.

Catalin Barbu pleaded guilty to arson in Harehills on the evening of 18 July 2024 when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court earlier.

Chaos erupted in the area after police assisted social workers taking four children into emergency foster care before hundreds took to the streets, which saw a police car flipped and a double-decker bus torched.

Barbu, 47, of Belbrook Avenue in Burmantofts, will be sentenced at the same court on 3 October. He wept and hugged his family members outside the courtroom after the hearing.

Speaking through a Romanian interpreter, Barbu told the court: "I do apologise. I had no reason to do so," when asked for a plea in relation to the charge.

Asked for a plea for a second time, he said: "I'm guilty, but I didn't have the intention to do so.

"I don't know what it was in my mind."

His Honour Judge Guy Kearl told the defendant "all sentencing options remain open", including a custodial term.

Barbu was convicted of violent disorder in relation to the unrest at Leeds Magistrates' Court on 16 July. He will be sentenced for both offences on 3 October.

No further details about his role in the disorder were provided during the hearing, at which Barbu's unconditional bail was extended.

As of last month 23 people had been convicted and sentenced to more than 39 years in prison in total for their roles in the disorder, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.