Vengeful thug in late-night park stab attack after Morley nightclub clash
Foot-long knife used to stab victim multiple times
A man was stabbed multiple times in a park with a foot-long knife during a revenge attack stemming from a nightclub altercation.
Luke Mitchell and another person also rained down kicks, punches on the man, Leeds Crown Court was told.
However, the second perpetrator was never traced and it could not be verified who was holding the knife.
Scaffolder Mitchell, 31, denied GBH with intent but was convicted after a trial last month.
Prosecutor Joel Wootten said the victim had been on a night out on March 1, 2024, and was in JD’s nightclub when he bumped into Mitchell, whom he knew.
They exchanged pleasantries and continued their night.
But as the man was leaving the club later, a woman was shouting at him for an unknown reason. She was then assaulted by another person and the man laughed, before making a comment about “Karma”.
Mitchell then told the man that the woman was his aunty and heated words were exchanged.
A short time later, the victim had been walking through Hembrigg Park on his way home when he was attacked by Mitchell and the second man.
He was stabbed multiple times by the lengthy knife, as well as being struck by punches and kicks.
Clearly worried, Mitchell later messaged a woman on Facebook to ask if the police had been called.
Despite this, and being picked out by witnesses, he denied wrongdoing and claimed another man attacked the victim.
He has a previous conviction for having an offensive weapon.
Mitigating, Aaron Dinnes conceded he was restricted in his defence because Mitchell, of Amberley Road, Upper Wortley, continued to deny the attack.
However, he said the father-of-two “was not a career criminal” and worked hard as a scaffolder.
Judge Penelope Belcher described the assault as “thoroughly nasty and unpleasant” but said she could not be certain which of the two attackers had the knife.
She jailed Mitchell for five years and gave him him a 10-year restraining order to keep him away from the victim and his family.