Leeds kidnapper is returned to jail for hand-delivering birthday card to his son

Maharbaan Misri had only been released from jail just days before when he went to the woman's home to put the card through the letterbox, despite being warned it would put him in breach of a 10-year restraining order.

The 44-year-old was arrested and held on remand at HMP Leeds. He appeared at Leeds Crown Court and admitted a single charge of harassment. He had been jailed for 39 months in 2021 after being convicted of stalking, kidnapping and assaulting the woman.

Misri, of Tong Road, Armley, was released at the end of November last year, but 12 days later he went to the home of the woman and their two children in Beeston and dropped the card off. Nobody was home at the time. He was later arrested.

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In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she and the children are "terrified" of Misri, and is wanting to move out of the area to get away from him.

Mitigating, Richard Holland said: "He had not see his son for four years before this breach. He had heard through extended family that he had abandoned his son. That's why he deliberately breached the restraining order. It was not motivated to cause the complainant further harm. He regrets attending. It won't happen again."

Recorder Anthony Dunne jailed Misri for 10 weeks and told him: "Whatever you may have felt about the need to wish your children a happy birthday and to make some sort of contact, you must have known it was completely wrong to attend the address. And you must have realised the distress it would have caused to her to know that you had been there."

Recorder Dunne said the restraining order, which still has seven years to run, will remain in place. Before the video link was cut to HMP Leeds, Misri told the judge: "I guarantee you it won't happen again."