Drug dealer attacked man with a machete in Wakefield street over debt - Leeds Crown Court

Daniel Jay Lund was jailed for the savage attack after which the victim needed surgery.

Leeds Crown Court was told that Lund was a small-time dealer who sold cannabis to fund his habit, but suffered from psychosis because of his drug use.

Prosecutor Andrew Pickin said that the 29-year-old had gone to a property in Waterton Road, Lupset, on the morning of January 28 as he looked for a man who owed him £200.

Once there, he threw a dumbbell through the living room window.

In retribution, the victim then went to Lund's home in Gloucester Place, Lupset. He was armed with a hammer and smashed a window, before Lund came out with a machete and chased the man around his car.

Lund swung at the man and caused a serious injury to his hand, before he was able to scramble into his car and flee.

The man went to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield where he underwent surgery on his hand between his little finger and ring finger.

Police attended the scene but could find neither Lund nor the victim. They searched Lund's home and found cannabis separated into dealer bags, along with weighing scales.

The next day, police were called to the Redbeck Hotel in Doncaster Road. Lund had been seen shouting in the car park while armed with the machete again, but officers could not find him when they arrived.

They were called again later by Lund's sister, who told them that he turned up at her home with the machete and was saying he was there to protect her because somebody was coming to shoot her. She told police that he suffered from psychosis.

Officers returned to the hotel where they caught up with Lund and found a large machete under the bed in his room. He was arrested and gave a no-comment interview.

The court was told that Lund had 37 convictions for 53 offences, including wounding in 2014.

He admitted grievous bodily harm without intent, drug dealing, possession of a bladed article in public and criminal damage.

The court heard that he had been held on remand at HMP Leeds since his arrest.

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Mitigating, Robin Frieze said: "The defendant recognises that the combination of offences, together with his record, [means] custody is inevitable."

He described Lund as a "relatively-modest cannabis dealer" who sold the drug to fund his own "considerable habit".

He added: "He did not attempt to stab him with the machete, he was waving it about. He had plenty of opportunities to cause serious harm had he intended it.

"He had the good sense to plead guilty. He has been in prison since the end of January.

"He is now free of drugs. He is highly motivated to stop using cannabis."

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed him for 24 months, saying: "You felt that you could take the law into your own hands.

"It was an indiscriminate attack. You were the one who started this."

The court was told that the victim had also been prosecuted and will face court action at a later date.

This article was first published by the Wakefield Express.