Counter protestors who clashed with far-right 'EDL' in Leeds are jailed

Sameer Ali and Adnan Ghafoor appeared at Leeds Crown Court this morning after they were part of a 17-strong gang that attacked a small group of males draped in Union Jack flags.

Ali was jailed for 20 months with Ghafoor receiving 30 months. This included 18 months for the affray, and 12 months for breach of a suspended sentence he was already on.

It came after a protest outside Leeds Arts Gallery on the Headrow on Saturday afternoon, August 3, prosecutor Heather Gilmore told the court. It included “pro English Defence League” supporters, and counter protestors.

Passing off largely peacefully, Miss Gilmore said at around 4.42pm, the group of Asian males were walking along Great George Street when four males appeared, heading in the opposite direction.

CCTV from the street was played to the court that showed verbal exchanges between the two groups before Ali threw punches to the nearest male.

He then punched a second and third male and kicked them on the ground. It happened in front of horrified onlookers in a nearby bar.

He was dragged away by another male and could be seen laughing and fist bumping others as they walked away.

During that 30-second stint of violence, Ghafoor ran across the road and hit a male three times who was being held in a choke hold.

Both men later handed themselves into the police station.

Ali, 21, of West Park Drive, West Park, has no previous convictions.

Ghafoor, 31, of Spen Bank, West Park, has numerous previous convictions, including racially-aggravated assault and racially-aggravated provocation of violence. He has also had jail sentences for driving offences, including causing serious injury through dangerous driving.

Both were held on remand following their arrest, with Ali appearing in court today via video link from HMP Lincoln.

Mitigating for Ali, Graham O’Sullivan said his early guilty plea was his best point.

He said he had never been in trouble before and that he did voluntary work in the mosque. He said Ali was sorry and added: “He recognises the harm of his offence.” For Ghafoor, Frances Pencheon said the group was not a “mob looking for trouble”, with many who did not know each other.

She said that he did not try to cover his face and the four men in Union Jacks used language towards them that was “inflammatory”.

She said: “He deeply regrets that he involved himself. He fully accepts he should not have involved himself.

“He is also remorseful of the impact it will have had on people in town that day. He allowed himself to get caught up in the situation that unfolded and ended within 30 seconds in a height of heightened emotions.

“It was a short-lived moment of madness against a backdrop of what was said to him while he was walking along.”

The judge, the Recorder of Leeds, Guy Kearl KC told them that “severe sentences” would be handed out to involve themselves in such violence.

He said: “Both of you involved yourselves in violence in the street in the city centre of Leeds. This was witnessed by people in the nearby bar, on the pavement and in their cars.

“They will have been shocked, fearful, upset and distressed by your actions.”

Two more defendants, Jordan Plain and Jordan Parlour, are also due to be sentenced today for their roles in the trouble.

Last week violence erupted in towns and cities including Rotherham, Tamworth, Plymouth, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Hull.

Hotels where asylum seekers were known to be staying were targeted and set on fire, shops were looted, police cars attacked and bricks and debris hurled at officers. The disorder across the country followed the fatal stabbings of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport on July 29. However, civil unrest had begun 12 days before in Leeds when violent clashes with police took place in the Harehills area on the night of July 18, which resulted in a police car being attacked and a double-decker bus torched.

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Four men have been charged, appeared in court and remanded until later this month for the Harehills trouble.

Hundreds of people have been arrested in recent days across the country and Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said the Government will bring more than 500 additional prison places into use to deal with those involved.

It was even reported that courts could begin sitting on an evening, at night and at weekends to deal with those involved in the trouble.