Would-be gangster jailed for slashing man’s neck with broken bottle

Leon Fenton, 33, of Birch Lane, West Bowling, Bradford, was labelled a public danger by the judge sentencing him at Bradford Crown Court today and given an extended five-year licence period.

He will spend two thirds of the custodial term behind bars before being released on the closely monitored licence term for the balance of the 14 years.

Fenton pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on July 26 last year. He also admitted having a broken bottle as an offensive weapon and being in possession of a knife.

His not guilty plea to an original charge of attempted murder was accepted by the Crown.

Police at the scene in Great Horton Road

The court heard that the victim was slashed to the throat with a piece of broken glass shortly before 9pm. Fenton was also carrying a knife that was never recovered, Prosecutor Stephen Littlewood said that shortly before the attack, Fenton was drinking a bottle of Desperados at an address in Bradford. He left at 8.30pm and appeared ‘a bit drunk.’ He was on the phone on Great Horton Road, angry and shouting. He smashed the Desperados bottle, picked up a broken piece and threw punches at two Polish males drinking beer nearby. He was ‘jumping round as if he was on drugs’ and threatened to kill one of them, the court was told.

CCTV footage of events surrounding the incident was played in court, depicting shouting and screaming on the busy street as traffic went past.

Fenton ran up and ‘punched’ a Czech man aged 28 twice in the neck, causing a six to eight inch slash wound two inches deep. The victim threw a bicycle at Fenton after he was stabbed. He was bleeding while he was running away, with Fenton still threatening to kill him, Mr Littlewood said.

An eye-witness saw that he was badly hurt and called for an ambulance.

Mr Littlewood said Fenton was seen with a small knife in one hand and the broken bottle in the other.

The police found the broken bottle thrown under a vehicle and Fenton had a cut to his hand.

The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance and underwent surgery the following day when the wound was closed with two layers of stitches.

In his victim personal statement, he said he hadn’t slept properly since and had nightmares in which he was slashed and someone wanted to kill him.

He had been prescribed sleeping tablets and needed counselling.

He no longer went to the park with the children. His heart would beat fast and he became anxious.

The incident had an impact on the whole family, with his partner saying he wasn’t the same man as before.

Fenton had previous convictions for burglary, when aged 15, dishonesty and criminal damage, battery, robbery, breach of court orders, common assault, possession of a knife, affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

From 2017 onwards, he committed battery, assault, possession of a knife on two occasions, possession of drugs with intent to supply, and assault on an emergency worker.

His barrister, Philip Morris, said psychiatric and probation reports made reference to his client’s mental health problems that were not assisted by his use of alcohol.

While remanded in HMP Leeds, he had been assigned a mental health worker and he was now willing to confront his ‘ghosts and demons.’ Mr Morris conceded that the authors of the reports had found that Fenton posed a danger to the public with his ‘incessant’ carrying of weapons.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Fenton had 32 convictions for more than 70 offences.

In 2020, he was jailed for two years for possession of knives and then locked up again for assaults on emergency workers.

Four months after his release from jail, he was drinking alcohol, saying he was a ‘gang man’ and making violent drunken threats.

He had a knife and was angry on his phone on Great Horton Road. He smashed his bottle of alcohol and picked it up.

There was a dispute in which words were exchanged with a group of Polish men. Fenton escalated matters by shouting racist abuse at them.

The victim was trying to de-escalate the situation when Fenton ran after him and punched him twice, slashing his neck with the broken bottle.

The bicycle thrown at him afterwards was ‘a defence mechanism’ to stop him carrying out further violence.

The victim had suffered a ‘grave and dreadful’ injury, Judge Rose said. He wouldn’t even go out in the afternoon now because he feared he wouldn’t be able to get home before dark.

“On any view, Fenton, this was a grave and unprovoked attack that ran a very high risk of causing the death of the victim,” Judge Rose said.

He could have severed the man’s jugular vein after ‘choosing his weapon, his target and following it through.’ “The risk of killing this man was very, very great,” the judge said.

Fenton’s father was currently serving a long prison sentence and from a young age, his son had modelled himself on him, leading to a life of crime, the judge stated.

He had repeatedly used violence and carried weapons, wanting to be a gangster.

He had abused his body with Class A and Class B drugs as well as using alcohol.