Men jailed for violent attacks in Leeds city centre

Sentencing the trio at Leeds Crown Court yesterday, Judge Tom Bayliss QC said he accepted their behaviour was out of character but such incidents impacted on the whole community.

“Members of the public are entitled to go into the city for a night out without this sort of behaviour otherwise the centre of town becomes a no go area.”

David Gordon, prosecuting, said two men, who had been on a night out in Leeds, saw an apparent family disagreement between two groups of Asians leaving
the Queens Hotel where the
party had been taking place last April.

They were on their way to the station for something to eat but because it looked as though there might be fighting, one of the men put his arms out and around one of the Asian men to intervene, but for his trouble he was set upon by about five men.

When his friend went to help him he too was attacked and ended up on the ground trying to protect himself before the duo managed to run off into the station and alert police, said Mr Gordon.

One of the leaders of the attacking group was described as very tall and was later identified as Bhopinder Singh Matharoo.

He was then seen to chase after the pair along with others of his group. They did not catch up with them but two other men, Joshua Cooper and Christopher Pugh, were met and assaulted.

Matharoo, 41 of Whitechapel Close, Leeds, was jailed for six months after he admitted affray relating to the first incident and assaulting Mr Pugh.

Gurvinder Lall, 26, also of Whitechapel Close, was jailed for six months after he admitted assault causing actual bodily harm to both Mr Pugh and Mr Cooper.

Ranjeet Lall, 34, of Down’s Road, Slough, who admitted both assault charges, was jailed for seven months.

Nicholas Hammond, for Matharoo, said he had completely misinterpreted the motivation for the men’s intervention in the first incident. “It was a misunderstanding.”

He said emotions were then heightened in drink and that led to the second incident.