Teen thug stamped on man's head and injured grandmother during town centre gang attack

William Barnes was part of a 20-strong gang that attacked two men outside Carlton Lanes Shopping Centre that was caught on CCTV, Leeds Crown Court was told.

A second defendant, Declan Thomas Lewington, was also seen kicking one of the males.

Prosecuting, Danielle Gilmour said the defendants were part of the group that had exchanged verbal insults with the two men on the evening of March 4, 2019, in Castleford town centre, with the court being told that Barnes, who was 17 at the time, had a long-standing disagreement with one of the men.

The two men had gone to meet a female who worked at JD Sports in Carlton Lanes, with Barnes heard to say that he was "going to batter" one of the males.

One of the victims then rang their grandmother to pick the three of them up over fears they could be set upon, and stayed in the shopping centre until she arrived.

When the grandmother turned up, they hurried to get in her vehicle on Bridge Street but were followed by the gang who began attacking the two men.

Footage screened to the judge showed Barnes throwing punches at one of the victims and dragging him to the ground.

He then stopped and went over to the second victim who was being attacked in the middle of the road by the gang, and began kicking and stamping on his head.

Lewington was also seen kicking the man on the floor.

The 79-year-old grandmother then got out of her car and was shoved by Barnes, causing her a chest injury.

The court was told it was another 15 days before police were able to arrest Barnes, who accepted his involvement in the incident.

Barnes, 18, of Cross Green Lane, Halton, Leeds, appeared from custody via video link and admitted one count of affray and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) to one of the males.

A second ABH charge against the grandmother will lie on file.

The court was told he already has 20 convictions to his name.

Mitigating for Barnes, Aysha Smart, said: "He had just turned 17 at the time and maturity is a factor that is perhaps lacking in this defendant."

She said that he has been bullied while held on remand, is locked up 23 hours a day and has been attacked by inmates and had items stolen from him.

Lewington, 20, of Colclough Close, Castleford, was not held on remand and admitted a charge of affray. He has no previous convictions.

Khadim Al'Hassan, mitigating for Lewington, said that he had taken steps to turn his life around since the incident, securing a job as a warehouse operative in Normanton.

He said: "He was not initially involved but became involved for a fraction of a second.

"He is embarrassed and his mother is embarrassed that he has appeared in court.

"His involvement was limited but he accepts he was and shouldn't have."

Judge Rodney Jameson QC gave Lewington a 12-month community order with 200 hours of community service.

He handed Barnes 16 months' jail, and said: "You have a dreadful record for one so young.

"Behaviour of this kind can't be allowed to continue."

A third defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had previously been dealt with by the court for his part in the attack.