Exclusive:Accountant-hopeful narrowly avoid jails after 'massive' Leeds city-centre scrap
A university graduate who became embroiled in a city-centre scrap has narrowly avoided being locked up after he was found to be carrying a knife.
Hassan Arfan later tried to claim he was assaulted and his attacker had dropped a knife onto him.
The 23-year-old was found guilty of possessing a knife in public after a summary trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, before being sent to Leeds Crown Court for sentencing.
He was already on a suspended sentence for a drugs offence, when the “large-scale” fight broke out on Call Lane in the early hours of October 6 last year.
The judge told Arfan that he had “completely lost control” during the violent incident.
Officers were quickly on the scene and found Arfan sat between two parked cars, bleeding from his head. He refused to tell them what had happened and said he wanted to sort out the individuals himself.
But they noticed him fidgeting with the waistband of his trousers and when he tried to make off after throwing water over an officer, they detained him and found the knife.
Arfan, of Gathorne Terrace, Chapeltown, has two previous convictions for three offences, including being concerned in the supply of cannabis and possession of criminal property.
In June last year he was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with unpaid work and rehabilitation days to complete.
The court was told that he had only recently started his unpaid work, completing just 32 hours of the 200 issued.
His barrister, Mollie Briggs, said he had suffered an injury to his hand that prevented him from starting the work sooner.
She said he was a full-time carer for his two brothers who have physical health needs. She said due to this he was unable to work but having graduated with an accountancy degree, was hoping to secure a job in the sector.
Judge Andrew Stubbs KC told him: “You had completely lost control. You were unpleasant and uncooperative with police.
“There had been a massive fight on the streets of Leeds. Every year people are killed by knives and fights on the streets of Leeds.
“You have very little or understanding or remorse about how serious that was.
“Knives and knife crime is an absolute scourge. Growing up in this city, you know that.”
He gave Arfan another suspended sentence - 18 months’ jail suspended for 18 months, with another 100 hours of unpaid work.
He told him: “I want you to understand how close you have come to going to prison. If you let your family down again you will not be around to help them.”