Father-of-10 jailed for helping to stoke Leeds street fire during Harehills riot
A father-of-10 has been jailed for his part in the Harehills riots after he helped burn items in the street and launched missiles towards police.
Catalin Barbu, 48, was drunk during the disorder that swept through the streets on July 18 last year.
He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this morning - and is the 30th person to be convicted for the shameful scenes that made headlines across the country.
The court was told that he was spotted at around 8.30pm that evening in the crowds that had gathered around Compton Road.
He helped form a barricade in front of the bus that was later set alight, although he was not part of that arson attack.
However, a van was stopped by the crowds and its contents stripped and set alight - with Barbu caught on camera helping to rip up cardboard and place it onto the flames.
He was later seen hurling objects at police called in to help quell the crowds.
Prosecutor Oliver Connor said Barbu, of Bellbrooke Avenue, Burmantofts, admitted violent disorder and arson.
He has no previous convictions and a Romanian interpreter was used in court to translate for him.
Mitigating, Eleanor Durdy said he works as a cleaner and is the sole provider for his wife and the eight children he lives with, aged between three and 19. She said he has 10 children in total.
She suggested a jail sentence would have a significant impact on his family. She added: “He is deeply ashamed of what happened on July 18 last year, and the part he inexcusably played in it.”
But the judge, The Recorder of Leeds, Guy Kearl KC, said immediate jail “cannot be avoided”.
He said that Barbu blamed alcohol for his role, which Recorder Kearl said only served to aggravate his position.
He told him: “This was serious violent disorder that involved many, many people being violent towards police and public services. You played a part in that.”
He jailed him for 20 months.
The trouble stemmed from an incident on Luxor Street at around 5pm that day, as social workers attempted to take four children into care over safeguarding issues.
It caused a scene and drew a 100-plus crowd, forcing the police to attend.
But the matter escalated, missiles were thrown towards the police and a police car was overturned.
The number of people swelled and police were pelted with missiles as the trouble spread to the surrounding roads.
The bus was stopped and torched by thugs, goaded by hundreds of others, filmed on mobile phones by many and loaded to social media.