PAIR JAILED FOR KNIFE ATTACK IN CITY PARK
RUNNING BATTLES ON DAY OF VIOLENCE ENDED IN MURDER ATTEMPT
TWO men have been convicted of attempted murder after a series of violent gang clashes ended in a man being stabbed 13 times in a Leicester park, writes Adrian Troughton.
Liban Yaryare, 22, was found guilty of attempted murder relating to the Bede Park assault, among a string of other offences, and jailed for 21 years and six months.
Khalid Hassan, 24, was also found guilty of attempted murder and other offences. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Last week saw the culmination of a case which has taken five years to progress through the courts, with 25 charged with offences linked to a day of violence.
TWO men have been convicted of attempted murder after a series of violent clashes between rival gangs ended in a man being stabbed 13 times in a Leicester park.
Last week saw the culmination of a case which has taken more than five years to progress through the courts, with 25 men charged with offences linked to a string of violence throughout one day in April 2015.
The rivals fought in Highcross shopping centre and in Bede Park in Leicester’s West End on the same day and the violence led to the stabbing, which left the victim fighting for his life.
Police said the victim only survived because of the medical treatment he received at the park and at hospital.
Leicester Crown Court was told that it all began at about 4.30pm on April 30, 2015, when members of two rival groups were involved in a fight in the shopping centre in Shires Lanes in Leicester before being separated by security staff.
Both groups left the area but remained in phone contact over the next few hours.
At about 6pm, the two groups arranged to meet in Bede Park, but one of the groups did not arrive at the arranged meeting time – which led to threats being made by members of the group that had turned up.
Later that evening, at about 7.30pm, the two groups clashed again in Lower Brown Street,
Leicester. CCTV captured the rivals in a violent confrontation during which a large knife was seen to be passed between members of one group.
Witnesses in the street alerted the police, whose arrival caused the two groups to flee the area.
However, they again used their phones to arrange further violence.
The two groups met for the final time that evening about 30 minutes later in Bede Park for a prearranged clash.
At the park, one of the groups felt outnumbered and fled, only for a small number of the retreating group to make the decision to return.
Once in the park they saw the opposing group now consisted of about 30 men, some with weapons.
The smaller group again decided to withdraw but one of them, a 21-year-old man who had not been present during any of the previous incidents, became detached from the others in his group as they ran off.
The other gang chased him into the park and attacked him.
He was stabbed 13 times and seriously wounded.
His injuries were life-threatening and he only survived due to the swift medical treatment he received.
In total, 25 men were charged with offences relating to the string of battles.
Of these 10 pleaded guilty to public order offences, two stood trial and were found not guilty of all charges, and 13 stood trial and were found guilty of offences ranging from jury interference through to attempted murder.
The most significant sentences
were given to Liban Yaryare, 22, who was found guilty of attempted murder relating to the Bede Park assault, conspiracy to commit violent disorder in Bede Park, conspiracy to commit violent disorder in Lower Brown Street, and violent disorder in Shires Lane.
His total sentence was 21 years and sixmonths imprisonment.
Khalid Hassan, 24, was also found guilty of attempted murder relating to the Bede Park assault, conspiracy to commit violent disorder in Bede Park, and conspiracy to commit violent disorder in Lower Brown Street. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Criminal proceedings ended in April last year and restrictions preventing the reporting of the case remained in place until this month, due to ongoing court proceedings involving appeals by three of the defendants in the case. Detective Inspector David Greenhalgh said: “I appreciate it’s some time since the incident itself, but I felt it was important to highlight what was an incredibly detailed and complex investigation. “The meticulous level of detail employed by the investigation team is testament to their investigative mindset and tenacity to bring this case to a conclusion. There is no place for such violence on our streets.
“Leicestershire Police take knife crime and violent disorder extremely seriously and we are committed to investigating such incidents thoroughly and ensuring Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are safe places to live.”
Detective Constable Emma Bee, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to thank all of the witnesses who provided statements and gave evidence in the trials and all of the organisations that assisted the police investigation, by providing CCTV footage.
“I would like to make special mention of the victim in this case who, despite suffering serious physical and psychological injuries, had the strength of character to give evidence on two separate occasions across the trials”
The meticulous level of detail by investigation team is testament to their tenacity Detective Inspector David Greenhalgh