Jack Kirkbright and Mason Sagar jailed over violent incident

Jack Kirkbright and Mason Sagar have each been locked up for two years for what a judge at Bradford Crown Court called “one of the most serious offences of its nature that I have seen”.

Mr Recorder Paul Reid said: “These offences and in particular this offence of appalling public disorder – affray – are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can possibly be justified.”

Prosecutor Eleanor Durdy told the court how the violence on June 29 this year had stemmed from an incident outside a school three days earlier.

How the incident unfolded 

A frozen juice box was thrown at a man and thrown back, which hit Kirkbright’s partner. That prompted a flurry of abusive messages from Kirkbright to the man he believed had thrown the item telling him he was going to “smash his head in”.

On June 29 the recipient of the messages was at home with his partner and children when he heard shouting outside and realised that his van windscreen had been smashed. The police were called.

At 2.15am a group of six people, including Kirkbright and Sagar, turned up with Kirkbright saying, “Video this. I’m here, I’m here". 

Footage captured on CCTV showed Sagar passing Kirkbright a knife whilst Sagar held an axe. They both approached the victim’s home and Kirkbright threw his knife at the door.

Both men backed off when the victim released his dogs, but Kirkbright took the axe from Sagar and used it to twice attack the van.

Sagar hit one of the dogs with the blunt end of the axe while Kirkbright told him, “Kill the dog, kill the dog.”

The case was heard at Bradford Crown Court

The victim said the axe was used to attack his door, shattering glass around him as he stood behind it to hold the handle. The incident ended when he shouted that the police were coming.

Pictures taken at the scene showed two knives including one snapped and jammed in the door. A knife and baseball bat were recovered from Sagar’s address.

'I was so scared at what was happening'

In a statement, the victim described the fear that he would have been stabbed had he not made it inside his house.

His partner said: “It was so upsetting to see our dog being hurt, and to hear what Jack was shouting. And it was so frightening to watch from my bedroom window as Mason stood in our garden and was wielding the axe towards [the dog]. I honestly thought that they were going to kill her.

“I had to stay and protect my young children inside the house and was already so scared at what was happening that I was unable to go and check if she was okay.”

Actions described as 'an absolute disgrace' 

Both men later pleaded guilty to affray and criminal damage.

Kirkbright, 28, of Holybrook Gardens, Bradford, also pleaded guilty to possession of a knife and Sagar, 25, of Rowlestone Rise, Bradford, to possession of an axe.

The court heard that Kirkbright had previous convictions for affray and criminal damage, and that Sagar was on licence at the time after previously being jailed for rape.

Sentencing the duo, Recorder Reid described their actions as “an absolute disgrace”.

He said: “You attacked the home of [the victims] for absolutely no reason whatsoever other than to take revenge, it would appear, for a perceived slight that had occurred to you, Kirkbright.

“About half a dozen people including you two went to [the victim’s] home. Outside you were seen to arm yourselves with an axe, a baseball bat, and a blade.

“Quite what he was expected to do - his house having been attacked, his property attacked, his van badly damaged [and] his dogs attacked - defeats me, other than calling the police.

“[The victims] were clearly distressed by what had happened and in fear of staying in their own home with anxiety over whether or not you were going to return in due course and cause further mayhem.”

In addition to the jail sentences, Recorder Reid imposed an indefinite restraining order banning any contact with the victims.