A MASKED man who threatened staff at a Bradford bookmaker with a Stanley knife has been jailed for 15 months.

Soran Omar then smashed the glass door at William Hill on Leeds Road, Bradford, and jumped on the bonnet of a passing car before acting aggressively to arresting police officers.

Omar, 26, a failed asylum seeker who had jumped court bail, pleaded guilty to affray, threatening with a bladed article and an offence under the Bail Act.

Prosecutor Peter Byrne told Bradford Crown Court on Monday that Omar, of Vicar Lane, Bradford city centre, became angry on March 13 when a gaming machine at the bookmaker did not pay out.

After he had hit it in temper, the staff gave Omar the money he was owed and told him to leave.

He kicked the door on his way out and returned wearing a balaclava and wielding a Stanley knife before smashing the glass in the door.

Omar then jumped on the bonnet of a passing Vauxhall Corsa, banged on the windscreen and shouted to the driver: “Get out of the car.”

He gestured with the knife in the street and damaged a Ford Transit van, Mr Byrne told the court.

Omar, who was assisted in court by a Kurdish Sorani interpreter, lied to the police in interview, saying he did not have a knife and he had done nothing wrong.

Omar’s solicitor advocate, John Bottomley, said he was a Kurdish Iraqi forced to flee his homeland.

He had travelled to Turkey and entered the United Kingdom illegally.

Omar had registered as an asylum seeker and been moved around the country before being house in Bradford.

He had been in the country for nine years and his first claim for asylum had been refused, Mr Bottomley said.

Omar had a very low IQ and was in the bottom one per cent on the scale of intelligence, according to a psychologist’s report produced for the court.

Mr Bottomley said that Omar had faced significant challenges in his life and had not coped well in prison since being held on remand for six months.

He had received no formal education as a child and assistance from the probation service was vital for him and the rest of the country.

Judge Colin Burn jailed Omar for 14 months for the affray and bladed article offences and one month to run consecutively for the Bail Act offence.

He said Omar’s behaviour in William Hill was very violent and threatening and others outside the betting shop had suffered as well.

“It was a very bad piece of behaviour by you,” Judge Burn said.