Violent teen who assaulted junior soldiers in McDonald's on Briggate has his sentence extended

A teenager who carried out unprovoked attacks on two young soldiers in a Leeds city centre McDonald's restaurant has had his custodial sentence extended.
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Levi Paterson punched the two victims in view of children during the attack on January 25 this year.

The 18-year-old is currently serving a four-year sentence for possessing a prohibited firearm and robbery of two men in Leeds city centre.He had his sentenced extended by eight months after pleading guilty to two offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

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Leeds Crown Court heard the two victims were junior soldiers based at the Army College at Harrogate.

Levi Paterson had his custodial sentence extended by eight months for attacking two junior soldiers at McDonalds on Briggate.Levi Paterson had his custodial sentence extended by eight months for attacking two junior soldiers at McDonalds on Briggate.
Levi Paterson had his custodial sentence extended by eight months for attacking two junior soldiers at McDonalds on Briggate.

On the day of the incident they had travelled to Leeds to go shopping with friends.

Bashir Ahmed, prosecuting, said one of the victims was approached by Paterson outside McDonald's, on Briggate, and asked: "What are you staring at?"

The victim went inside to join his friends but Paterson continued stare at him.

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The teenager got up to leave but was headbutted by Paterson.

Mr Ahmed said the victim tried to fight back but was punched twice in the face.

Peterson then grabbed the second victim, pushed him against a wall and punched him in the head.

Paterson,of Woodview Mount, Hunslet, was arrested after police officers recognised him from CCTV footage.

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A statement was read to the court on behalf of the first victim.

He described how he was discharged from the army due to his injuries.

He has had to reapply to become a soldier and is still awaiting a decision.

The prosecutor said: "The defendant was clearly out that night looking for trouble.

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"Children can be seen eating close by or passing when the violence occurred."

Susannah Proctor, mitigating, said the offences took place when Paterson was awaiting sentence for the firearms and robbery offences.

She said Paterson had stopped engaging with the probation service as he knew he would be going to custody.

Ms Proctor said Paterson pleaded guilty at an early stage and had been making good progress in custody to address offending behaviour.

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The YEP reported in April how a Leeds resident was shocked to find a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition hidden in an outbuilding outside house in September last year.

A resident on Servia Gardens, Woodhouse, made the alarming discovery when she went to check the electrical box outside her property.

The woman found a bag which contained a sawn-off Browning shotgun hidden in a crevice in the outbuilding.

Police forensic officers examined the weapon and found Paterson's DNA on the trigger.

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Paterson was also part of a gang who subjected two men to a "humiliating" attack in which they were threatened with a knife and ordered to remove clothing.

The two victims had travelled to Leeds by train and were targeted on Crown Street, near to the Corn Exchange.

One of the victims was told he would be stabbed before being ordered to take off the designer clothing worth £1,700 that he was wearing.

Clothing included a Moncler coat and Valentino trainers.

The second victim was robbed of his iPhone and a Versace bag.

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One of the victims was filmed as he was made to walk away in the rain without anything on his feet.

The attackers mocked the victims and later posted the mobile phone footage on Snapchat in a bid to humiliate them further.