Leeds tanning-shop family-feud fight almost lands teenager behind bars
A teenager has narrowly avoided being locked up after raining blows down during a family scrap in a tanning shop in Leeds city centre.
Annie Harty admitted a charge of affray and was given a suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court.
It was heard that is stemmed from a long-running family dispute, culminating in the violent confrontation in Kwik Tan on Vicar Lane on February 6 last year.
Harty, 19, had been at the sunbed shop with another teenager when her aunty entered with another female.
CCTV screened to the court showed gesturing between the two groups, before Harty launched at the female with her aunty, aiming punches at her.
Harty was carried away by a staff member but then returned, continuing the attack with kicks and throwing a bottle of orange juice.
Harty, of Cavalier Approach, Cross Green, was “the main aggressor”, the court was told.
Harty was arrested and interviewed by police, where she accepted fighting due to the long-running family dispute, prosecutor Beatrice Allsop told the court.
She was initially charged with ABH, but this was dropped in favour of the affray charge.
She has three previous convictions, including two for shoplifting.
Mitigating, Daisy Wrigley said: “There appears to be long-standing issues between the family from both sides.
“Things have been posted on social media repeatedly and there have been issues where the parties have come to a head in public.”
She said Harty had posted on social media that she would be at the tanning shop that day, which Ms Wrigley said “provided some context as to why it happened”.
She said that Harty was “petrified” of the other side of the family, but this was disputed by Judge Ray Singh who said she had started the violence in the shop.
However, Ms Wrigley said Harty was “ashamed and embarrassed” by her behaviour.
She added that Harty was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 11 and was now pregnant with her first child.
Judge Singh told Harty: “I’m not here to decide who is right or wrong [in the family dispute].
“But when these differences descend into chaos and violence in a public area, where there are staff and other customers, the courts must intervene.”
He described the incident as “quite shocking”.
He gave Harty a six-month sentence suspended for two years with 25 rehabilitation days to complete with probation.