Child hit by glass in late night flat attack
A young child was hit by flying glass when a gang of three men launched a late-night attack on a flat in Brighouse. A judge heard that some sort of “feud” was behind the attack which took place at a property in Whinney Hill Park four months ago. Prosecutor Martin Robertshaw told Bradford Crown Court that he had no information about whether the youngster had been injured during the attack on the home of Ben Ramsden and Catherine Moyser in February. The court heard that three men, including 23-year-old Luke Hartley and Leon Moran, also 23, arrived at the flat in a silver Audi just after 11pm. Hartley appeared to be the driver of the car and Moran was seen holding some kind of metal bar. Mr Robertshaw said the third man was wearing a balaclava and carrying a set of martial arts nunchucks. The court heard how the weapons were used to smash a number of windows in the complainants’ flat and further damage was caused to a television and a sound system. Mr Robertshaw said some of the glass struck one of the children inside the flat, but he had no details about whether the youngster was injured. After attacking the flat the men then targeted Mr Ramsden’s works van which had its windscreen and passenger window smashed with the nunchucks. Mr Robertshaw said the damage to the flat was estimated to be more than £1300 while the cost of repairing the van was put at £1000. The next day Miss Moyser saw Hartley and Ramsden in the Rastrick Co-op store and an argument started. Mr Ramsden drove her to a relative’s house, but he then returned to the area and started to follow the vehicle the pair were in. Mr Robertshaw said the vehicle went down a back road before Hartley deliberately reversed it and rammed it into Mr Ramsden’s car. Hartley then got out of the vehicle armed with a 50cm-long machete and Moran was seen holding a claw-hammer. “Of course Mr Ramsden immediately reversed back to the road and drove off,” said Mr Robertshaw. The court heard that Hartley and Moran, both of Hollybank Road, Brighouse, had previous convictions for a variety of offences and they were both jailed for five-and-half years in 2011. At a hearing before Calderdale magistrates court the pair admitted offences of criminal damage and possessing offensive weapons in relation to the incidents in February. But the court was told that both of them had already been recalled to custody for committing the offences while on licence and they are not due to be released until August next year. Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC sentenced each of them to 16 months in prison for the offences, but that sentence will run alongside their existing term. The judge told the pair that what they had done was “deplorable”.