Watch: Hammer-wielding man seeks revenge during riots
Credit: Cleveland Police
A hammer-wielding man who roamed the streets in search of revenge during the summer riots has been jailed for 15 months.
CCTV footage shows two young boys running away as a gang runs into frame on Park Lane, Middlesbrough.
Akheel Khan, a 24-year-old engineering graduate with a first class honours degree, can be seen brandishing a hammer as the group searches the residential area. He then dodges several police officers before being arrested.
Khan had left a mosque on Aug 4 to find his car had been damaged in the civil unrest before he decided to search for the culprits, Teesside Crown Court heard.
He was spotted later that evening on Belk Street and Park Lane, flanked by two associates armed with metal poles.
Cleveland police responded to “reports of a group of Asian men fighting” at around 8pm.
In the CCTV footage, the gang can be seen dispersing as more than six officers arrive in a riot van and chase them down the road. Police said a number of the men escaped in a vehicle before crashing into another parked car and coming to a halt.
Khan, dressed in a dark top and grey joggers, was later cuffed and restrained by two policemen outside a nearby property.
He appeared in court having admitted violent disorder.
Michele Turner, his solicitor, asked the judge to consider suspending Khan’s sentence because he was a victim of his car being damaged. The court heard that his job in Sheffield was being held open for him.
Ms Turner said that, after prayers that day, Khan had stayed behind to discuss with others what they would do if the mosque came under attack. He found his car damaged minutes after that discussion.
Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Khan, of Acklam, to 15 months in prison, of which he will serve 40 per cent before he is released on licence.
Khan told his barrister that he had not wanted his mother to come to court as “she had witnessed his every achievement, including his graduation ceremony” and he did not want her to see him being jailed.
Judge Bennett told Khan: “The protest march became ugly and violent – there is no evidence to suggest you were involved in that.
“You and three other males were running on Park Lane. You were carrying a hammer; two others had metal poles.
“You were all clearly looking for trouble. I am not clear who your intended target was. When the police arrived, you discarded the hammer and ran.
“I have read the reference written about you from your Imam and your letter expressing deep remorse. You are a graduate with a first class degree.”