'Inexplicable' delay saves teenage thug from prison after punching Garforth Budgens customer unconscious

The victim was in Budgens on Garforth’s Main Street when 19-year-old Finley Seggie took exception to him and pursued him to his car, squaring up to him before punching him once and causing him to collapse.

Seggie was just 16 the time of the incident, which occurred two years ago, but continued to deny the attack. He was found guilty of causing actual bodily harm after a trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, with the case then being sent to Leeds Crown Court for sentencing.

But having heard he had stayed out trouble since then, Judge Kate Rayfield: “The delay has not been explained, but it has allowed you to demonstrate that you are a very different person that you were at 16.”

Prosecutor Ellie Guildford said the victim was in the convenience store on the evening of on September 10, 2021, when he spotted Seggie and his pals behaving in an anti-social manner.

He warned the shop assistant about them, but Seggie overheard him and became verbally abusive. He then said to the man: “Who the f*** do you think you are?” He asked him to “take it outside”, offering the man to fight him.

He followed him outside before punching him once to the face. The man went down and fell unconscious, with witnesses coming to his aid.

He was taken hospital where he needed 10 stitches to his cheek. Later arrested, Seggie admitted punching the man, but maintained it was self defence.

In a victim impact statement read out by Miss Guildford, the victim said he was still “hyper vigilant” in public and feels frustrated that the youths are “still on the street continuing their anti-social behaviour”.

But in mitigation, Giles Grant said that Seggie, of Hansbury Grange, Seacroft, has remained out of trouble since then which “suggested a significant change in him”.

As a result, Judge Rayfield gave him an 18-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation days, 80 hours of unpaid work, ordered to enrol on the violence awareness programme and told to pay £500 compensation to the victim.