Attack led to broken skull for student

Zachary Farr, 20, remembered being in Bed nightclub in New Briggate until the early hours of January 17 and CCTV then recorded him outside a takeaway.

He had a fleeting memory of being in an ambulance and then hospital but did not know what had happened, Joanne Shepherd prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

She said the CCTV showed university student Olamide Majiyagbe deliver a punch from behind causing Mr Farr to drop to the ground unconscious.

Others put him in the recovery position and he was taken to hospital, where the fracture was found. He was kept in for 36 hours and treated with a vaccine after air was discovered in the intracranial cavity.

Meanwhile Majiyagbe had left the scene, but a week later he returned to the same club and staff recognised him and alerted police.

Initially he made no comment but later contacted police and gave an account of hitting Mr Farr, believing he was going to assault one of his friends.

He said he did not intend to injure him, only to “neutralise” him and said it was the stupidest thing he had ever done.

Graham Parkin, for Majiyagbe, said he was a first class academic student with a promising future who bitterly regretted what had happened.

He had been uncomfortable giving no comment to the police and after seeing the CCTV footage it was a mark of his contrition that he decided to contact the officer.

At the time he was upset about his hat, which had sentimental value, being stolen in the club.

Majiyagbe, 19 of Cavendish Street, Kirkstall, Leeds admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and was given a 12 month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 220 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £300 compensation.

Judge Neil Clark said anyone seeing the shocking footage would think he deserved prison and he was only able to avoid an immediate sentence because he had read about his otherwise excellent character in references about him.