Thug 'celebrated' after breaking man's jaw in 6am Leeds city-centre bar attack
A drinker was left needing surgery on his jaw after being punched in Leeds bar - with his attacker then seen celebrating the assault.
The unprovoked attack happened in the Backroom Bar on the corner of Call Lane after a girl had been “grabbed” by a stranger, Leeds Crown Court heard.
Teenager Ibrahim Imani was spared a custodial sentence for throwing the punch, which left the victim needing to live on a liquid diet.
Prosecutor Amber Walker said the victim was in the bar in the early hours of July 28 last year. At around 5.50am, he spoke to a female who told him she had been “grabbed by the neck” by a male.
The victim approached the man and remonstrated with him before returning to the dance-floor area. The man then came over accompanied by Imani and punched the man, with Imani then delivering a second blow which sent the victim to the floor.
Door staff advised the victim to attend hospital, so he went to Leeds General Infirmary where x-rays showed he had a n “open fracture” to his jaw that required surgery.
The victim lost 10kg in four weeks due to being put on a strict liquid diet after surgery.
CCTV from the bar showed him delivering the blow before appearing to celebrate the attack with pals.
Imani, 19, was later arrested and gave a no-comment interview to officers. He later admitted the attack and said he would plead guilty to ABH, but not GBH. He eventually admitted Section 20 GBH without intent.
Imani, of Vesper Road, Kirkstall, has a previous conviction for robbery from when he was a youth, from which he was given a referral order.
Mitigating, Jonathan Turner said that Imani had only thrown a single punch and added: “He did not follow it up with a further attack. He left immediately and made his way to the area.”
He said that Imani “has prospects in life”.
Judge Richard Mansell KC accepted Imani’s remorse and gave him a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, with 150 hours of unpaid work to complete.