Tower-block terror dumbbell attack left Leeds neighbour 'covered in blood'

Mark Hughes hit the man at least 15 times around his head, face and arms at the Norman Towers block of flats on Spen Lane, West Park, as other neighbours watched on in horror, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Hughes, who has eight previous convictions for violence and was last jailed in 2017, lived above the victim. At around 1.50pm on February 27, Hughes went downstairs and began banging on the man’s door, threatening him.

When the man answered the door, he said Hughes pulled out a serrated-edge plaster knife. He shut the door on Hughes. An hour later, the man left his flat and went to a nearby shop, before returning, prosecutor Tom Jackson told the court.

He said that 36-year-old Hughes stood waiting for him and shouted: “You’re dead you f****** grass.”

When the man stepped out of the lift on his floor, Hughes set about him with the dumbbell, striking the man at least 15 times. One neighbour said she saw the man pinned up against a railing by Hughes with his face covered in blood. Several people called 999 on seeing the assault unfold.

The man was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he was treated for a swollen face, damaged tooth, a cut to his head and bruising.

Hughes was later arrested and the dumbbell found covered in blood. During his interview, he gave a prepared statement claiming he was stabbed in January 2023 and the victim was responsible.

He was initially charged with Section 18 GBH with intent, but later admitted Section 20 GBH without intent which was accepted by the Crown. He has 16 previous convictions for 29 offences. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds.

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Mitigating, Ian Howard conceded Hughes has an “unenviable record” but said the injuries suffered by the victim, although “unpleasant”, were superficial. He said that after his last stint in jail, Hughes worked as a fencer in Wakefield but was unable to continue because of transport issues.

He said that the job was still available and Hughes plans to move to Wakefield when he is released. He said: “He is a man who says he wants to break the cycle of offending, that is what he is seeking, to grasp it with both hands.”

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed him for 24 months and said the “old traits” of Hughes’ violent tendencies “came back”. He added: “Fortunately for the complainant, he did not sustain as serious an injury as he could have sustained, given the ferocity of the attack.”