'It got out of hand': Thug stomped on man's head outside Leeds shops after accusing him of burgling his home

Daniel Crowther’s vicious assault on the man was caught on camera outside the parade of shops on Cranmer Bank in Moortown, and played to Leeds Crown Court.

The footage showed the victim approaching Crowther outside the shop who asked him about the burglary. He then lashed out, knocking him to the floor with a punch. He kicked him several times to the head as the man tried to remonstrate, before he stamped on him.

The 33-year-old only relented when a witness came out of the shop to halt the assault. Crowther then left in his car. The victim suffered a black eye, a cut to his ear and to his hand.

Following Crowther’s arrest, he gave a no-comment interview but later admitted a charge of actual bodily harm. He has eight previous convictions for 15 offences, including burglary, robbery and affray, but had stayed out of trouble for the last 12 years.

A pre-sentence report into his latest offending suggested delivery driver Crowther, of Appleton Close, Burmantofts, believed the victim had been responsible for a break-in at his home, but admitted there was no justification for the attack.

Representing himself in court, he told the judge: “I have not been in trouble since 2011, it was a spur of the moment thing. I’m not interested in this life no more [sic]. It just got out of hand.”

Judge Tahir Khan KC told him: “Violence in public places is always going to be taken by the courts as serious and you have a number of previous convictions on your record.

"The fact you have kept out of trouble for more than a decade makes me hesitant about sending you to prison. You are a working man and have a family. You have accepted full responsibility for what happened. It was an unpleasant assault.”

He gave him a 16-month sentence, suspended for two years, with 15 rehabilitation days and 200 hours of unpaid work. He also ordered him to pay £500 compensation to the victim.