Westover View Bramley: Man slashed mate with machete following row over gazebo in Leeds
A Leeds man slashed his mate with a machete following a row over a gazebo, a court has heard.
James Fillary left his victim in a life-threatening condition with a huge wound exposing his spine and injuring his spinal cord.
The attack happened outside Fillary’s home on Westover View in Bramley on June 10, 2022.
The 39-year-old was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (June 6).
The court heard that there had been a falling out over a “dog breeding enterprise” and that Fillary’s victim went to his house to retrieve a gazebo.
Prosecuting, Nicola Hoskins said: “The victim had his back turned so couldn’t have known what was about to happen to him.”
She added: “There was a risk of paralysis as a result of the attack.”
It was explained that the families of the two men had been friends for some years and often socialised together.
For the defence, Shila Whitehead said: “He deeply regrets what has happened, not just the injury that was caused but the destruction of a friendship for both families.”
Fillary was found guilty following a trial of wounding with intent and possession with intent to supply class B drugs. The latter charge followed a search of his home, in which cannabis was found.
Judge Neil Clark said: “The complainant came to retrieve a gazebo. The rights and wrongs of whether it was his to take are irrelevant.
“The injury was truly horrendous and he was initially in a life-threatening condition, having lost a lot of blood through the wound.”
He jailed him for eight years and 10 months.