Video: '˜Appalling' violence as men brandish weapons at Leeds Bangladeshi centre

Video footage of the incident at the city’s Bangladeshi Community Centre in May 2015 was played in court earlier this week as the prosecutions of more than 30 people involved in the clashes drew to a close.

In the footage released by West Yorkshire Police, one man - Shamin Hussain - can be seen attacking another man with a hammer.

Other weapons used in the violence at the centre in the Harehills district included iron bars, knives and chairs.

Some 32 people have now been successfully prosecuted over the incident. Of these, six have received jail sentences, including Hussain.

Leeds Crown Court heard the centre, on Roundhay Road, is run by a board of directors.

In the weeks leading up to the incident there had been issues between members of the board which caused a split into two factions.

The meeting was arranged to try to resolve the issues but the event quickly got out of hand.

Verbal arguments and abuse turned to violence which then degenerated into the large scale disorder.

Some of those involved in the violence had smuggled weapons into the meeting.

Rivals flung chairs at each other and concrete blocks were thrown through the windows of the centre.

Community police officers had attended the meeting because of the tensions put were powerless to stop the violence despite pleading with both sides to stop.

A ‘code zero’ message had to be sent out for all police officers in the area to attend the centre.

The violence continued when one of the rival groups made a phone call to “bring in the cavalry” and more men arrived at the centre armed with weapons.

Detective Superintendent Pat Twiggs, who led the investigation, said: “The scenes of violence witnessed that day at what was supposed to be an organised community meeting were absolutely appalling.

“Against a background of tensions around the centre’s hierarchy, a large number of people went to the meeting intent on causing violence, with some having hidden weapons around the building ready to use.

“The meeting very swiftly descended into large-scale disorder, with a number of men attacking each other with weapons, including iron bars and knives, resulting in a number of injuries including serious head injuries.”

Mr Twiggs said the local community police officer and his two police community support officer colleagues who were at the event found themselves “vastly outnumbered and in the midst of a really dangerous and intimidating situation that was completely unexpected”.

The officer said: “Despite that, they did everything they could to protect people and restore order, and put themselves in between those who were fighting until other colleagues arrived.

“It was a really frightening situation for them to be faced with and one which illustrates quite clearly the risks officers can face as they work to protect our communities and keep people safe.”

Mr Twiggs said: “This incident caused understandable concern in the community and also attracted a national focus which put Leeds in a negative light.

“West Yorkshire Police will not tolerate anyone who seeks to settle their differences with violence and will always take robust action against those who do.

“We hope the conclusion of this case will serve to reassure the community and provide a deterrent to those who think they can act outside of the law.”