Teenager locked up for race offences in city

Wakkas Butt was involved in three separate incidents over a four day period in Beeston, Leeds, in one a brick was thrown at the car of a white driver and in another a brick was thrown at the door of a black householder.

At the time he was also on bail awaiting trial for handling a stolen BMW car worth £15,000.

Sending him to a young offender institution for a total of 21 months yesterday Judge James Spencer QC told Butt at Leeds Crown Court: “No excuses can be made for any section of the community who behaves in such a way against another.”

“All parts of the community in this city and this country and beyond have to live in harmony with each other and if they behave in the way you did there must be punishment, not only to teach you but to teach others who might be persuaded to act in this way that it is not acceptable behaviour, it is criminal behaviour.”

Butt, 19, of Wakefield Road, Leeds, was found guilty by a jury of handling the BMW and admitted affray, racially aggravated harassment and racially aggravated damage.

Tim Stead prosecuting said Butt was stopped in January while driving the BMW with false registration plates and claimed to have hired it.

On June 3 at a time of “ongoing tension” between youths in the Beeston area a white man walking in Harlech Road was racially abused by Butt and a friend from a car.

That same day the driver of a Peugeot car, who was also white was abused after he found the car driven by Butt blocking his way in Harlech Road.

The victim had his pregnant girlfriend, her mother and a child in the car. As he tried to reverse the passenger in Butt’s car threw a brick damaging his windscreen.

On June 6 Butt threw a brick at the door of a black family after he and two others were outside shouting abuse at them.

Graham Parkin for Butt said soon after the problems had been sorted by community elders in a three way meeting but Butt had foolishly been recruited by others who did not think enough was being done.