A brave shopper who went to the aid of a man being attacked in the street ended up with a fractured shoulder himself.

Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday how Kenneth Lang stepped in when he saw two men “chopping” at the head of another man with a machete and a meat cleaver.

Mehran Nassiri said Mr Lang feared they were going to kill the man but when he went over to the group he was approached by a third man, Kulvinder Singh, who then struck him on the shoulder with what appeared to be an agricultural implement.

It had an axe to one end but Singh, from Fartown, used the blunt side to strike the blow, causing the fracture.

Mr Nassiri said the incident had begun earlier when Singh and the two with him were involved in some kind of incident with the man who later ended up on the ground.

After that they had got into a car but as they were leaving, the window of Singh’s car had been broken. That led to the three inside getting out and two of them going back to the man initially involved.

Singh was not involved in any assault on him but that man was later treated for wounds he suffered in the incident.

Andrew Dallas, representing Singh, said he had a “skinful” of alcohol and had a patchy memory or what had happened.

He was not driving his car but when the damage was done to it they all got out. He accepted Mr Lang was “completely blameless” in what followed.

He said Singh had suffered an accident while working as a forklift truck driver and that had left him with a back injury. He had ended up without work, his marriage had broken up and he was suffering from depression and at that time drinking too much. His reaction that day, references indicated, had been completely out of character.

Singh, 47 of Hammerton Road, Fartown, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, affray and having an offensive weapon. He was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years with a six-month curfew from 6pm to 6am and a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

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