Machete man spared jail
COURT TOLD 23-YEAR-OLD WHO BRANDISHED BLADE AT SHOPPING CENTRE HAS SINCE HAD HEART ATTACK
A MAN who brandished a machete during a clash between rival gangs in a Huddersfield shopping centre has been given a suspended sentence.
McCauley Jackson was in the busy Kingsgate centre with two others on February 3 last year when violence broke out.
Some shoppers feared it was a terrorist attack and Leeds Crown Court previously heard how the ‘large-scale public disorder’ had left families with children running in fear.
Jackson, 23, of Well Grove, Sheepridge, admitted violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.
Andrew Dallas, mitigating, said: “There were three of them and they had arrived at the shopping centre for no hostile or confrontational purpose.”
He said his client went and got the weapon after the incident had started.
Jackson, who has two previous convictions, recently suffered a heart attack.
Judge Neil Clark said: “You were seen by members of the public as being threatening, but there was nothing to suggest that you used the machete. Nevertheless, this was a terrifying incident.
“Since this incident you have had a significant heart attack. That has had an effect on your physical make-up.
“The doctor’s report states your condition is ongoing and you require treatment.
“It may be that you recover and one hopes that you do and it may take time.
“You have suffered loss of memory. You would, given your current state, struggle in that prison environment.
“It seems to me that it can be dealt with in exceptional circumstances, in this case by imposing a suspended sentence.
“If it was not for the medical state you are in then the sentence would be immediate custody.”
Jackson was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to abide by a six-month curfew between 7pm-7am.
Six men have already been locked up for their part in the incident and a 17-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was made the subject of a 12-month intensive supervision programme.
Some of those involved are believed to be linked to rival gangs called the Dalton Crew and BBD, which stands for Bradley, Brackenhall and Deighton.