Leicester disorder: Man found with knives and cricket bat sentenced

Officers on Belgrave Road during large-scale disorder in Leicester

A man found with knives and a cricket bat by police investigating disorder in Leicester has been sentenced.

Sanket Dansukh was stopped by officers on 11 September 2022, days before large-scale unrest broke out in the city following tensions involving mainly young men from Hindu and Muslim communities.

The 26-year-old was given a four-month sentence, suspended for 12 months.

District judge Jonathan Straw said Dansukh's offences were "serious".

Leicester Magistrates' Court heard police had spotted Dansukh's car on a number of occasions moving around Leicester.

Officers later stopped and searched the vehicle and found one knife under the mat in the footwell, another in the boot of the car as well as a cricket bat.

'He was scared'

A third knife was found under the boot where the spare tyre is kept, the court heard.

When police asked him about the knives, Dansukh told police "these are for my safety" and later on when being booked into the custody suite, he told officers that he carried them "for my own protection", the court heard.

In mitigation, Dansukh, of Mornington Street, Leicester, is said to have made the comments to the police because "he was scared" but this was rejected by the judge.

Dansukh previously pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing a knife in a public place, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place, one count of driving without insurance and driving without accordance to the licence.

"These offences of carrying weapons of this type in this way is so serious that it passes the custody threshold. I have to decide whether I can suspend that," the judge said.

"From references I have received on your behalf and the fact you've not been in trouble before, I feel the sentence can be suspended.

"You had on your possession very dangerous knives that you had secreted in your vehicle when tensions were in Leicester were high between particular communities."

Dansukh was also ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work, pay £300 in costs and a £128 surcharge.

He was given six points on his licence, triggering a six-month driving ban due to previous driving offences.