A West Yorkshire drugs gang brutally attacked rivals by stabbing, hitting and stamping on them in front of horrified neighbours - now one victim needs round-the-clock care.
Isaiah Anderson, of Raynville Street, Bramley, Jeremiah Anderson, 29, of Ebberston Terrace, Leeds, Denzel Patrick, of Manor Farm Road, Middleton, and Benjamin Forrester, 27, of Westgate, Wakefield, burst through the doors of a property in Grantley Street, Wakefield, on a day in June 2021, before violently attacking Unis Abdullah and Abdul Rahman Ibrahim in a revenge attack after Jeremiah was assaulted.
Leeds Crown Court heard on Friday another terrified person at the address was pushed through a bathroom window, with a drain pipe breaking his fall, before Unis and Abdul were attacked and then set upon in a garden.
Shocking footage released after they were sentenced shows the four men calmly walking to the address together knowing the violent fury they were about to unleash. They were caught on camera afterwards, running from the scene to a waiting Seat Ibiza, which was later seen with a white van. Forrester was captured on camera throwing something over a wall towards the River Calder before jumping over it.
Sobs and cries of "I love you" echoed throughout the public gallery at the court as all four were handed extended sentences of 40 years made up of a 35-year custodial sentence and extended licence period of five years. His Honour Judge Tom Bayliss told the men they must serve up to two-thirds of the custodial term in prison before going before the Parole Board who will then determine if they are safe to be released.
Prosecutor Steven Grattage told the court Abdul Rahman will need lifelong care for his injuries which included a haematoma, lacerations and stab wounds following the attack. He said he is still at a specialist facility and is living on a limited diet of croissants and milkshakes as he awaits further surgery.
Mr Grattage said a neuro consultant psychiatrist said Abdul still has a "cognitive impairment" and does not know if he is at home or not. He said it is the doctor's opinion that Abdul will "never be capable of independent living".
He added: "Once he is released from hospital he will need to be in a care home."
Mr Grattage read out of a victim personal statement written by Abdul's brother on behalf of his family in which he said he had plans to work in the Netherlands just before his brother was attacked, but is now focusing on his care and will help his mother with that when he returns home.
He said: "My mum had heard rumours of two Somali men from Leicester in a critical condition in Leeds and she tried to call his phone to no avail and then got a phone call - the worst phone call you could get. It was the scream that still haunts me to this day.
"My mum screamed my name and told me to come down to speak to a detective to listen and communicate it to her in Somali. I refused to believe it. It was only when we arrived at Leeds General Infirmary to speak to the doctors we learnt he will never be the same.
"He was still in a coma then. He eventually woke up but couldn't speak. It was unclear if he even recognised us when we went to visit. He tried talking and that was when we realised it wasn't the same Abdul Rahman we knew."
Abdul's brother told how they grew up together, and how he is trying to shield their younger siblings from what happened. He said: "He was my big brother, I adored him for many things. He always stuck up for me and stood up to people who took advantage of me. We did everything together - learning to swim, ride a bike and play PlayStation. He had his whole future ahead of him. It is heartbreaking."
The man described Abdul as his "biggest supporter" and told how he has promised his mother he will take care of him if there is a day she is no longer here. The court heard that Unis has not made a statement further to the one he initially made to the police, but it is known he suffered multiple injuries, including stab wounds.
Mitigating for Patrick, Robert Stevenson said he had no previous convictions before being convicted of two counts attempted murder, affray, attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm alongside his co-defendants.
Isaiah and Jeremiah Anderson had pleaded guilty to the affray charge during the trial. Mr Stevenson said the father-of-two - now 30 - was 26 at the time of the offence and has not offended since. He said a number of "positive" and "glowing" references had been handed to the court.
The barrister added: "It is clear there is a side to Denzel Patrick that is completely different to the one that showed itself on the day in question. The references are all from responsible sources who have known him for many years - most of them since childhood. He is described as an extremely kind, compassionate and dependable and hard working."
For Forrester, Alastair Campbell said he has been on bail in the Wakefield area since his arrest and has not reoffended.
Mitigating for Isaiah Anderson, Mark Robinson said: "He is a young man still - he was 23 at the time of the commission of the offence and is now 26... The age of when he is likely to be released, it is fair to say, he will be at least in his 40s and will be a middle-aged man.
"He was and is remorseful about what he has done. He was the first to plead guilty to the section 18 offence during the close of the prosecution's case... He goes on to express remorse and his apologies. It was out of character - nothing like this has ever happened before."
The court heard a number of references had also been handed to the court for him.
For Jeremiah Anderson, Matthew Harding said his partner and mother had attended court to support him. He said: "There has been no further offending. An explanation for that is that this was entirely out of character. There are character references and the authors speak of a very different person to what happened that day in 2021. They speak of a level-headed individual with a calm temperament."
The court heard Anderson has raised funds for charities including Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. Mr Harding said: "This offending was born out of particular circumstances. Whatever went on that day, terrible mistakes were made and others will have to live with those mistakes as well."
Judge Bayliss said the four had gone to the property "with the intention to obtain or retain the upper hand" and said the "catalyst" for the attacks was the assault on Jeremiah Anderson. He said: "The purpose of your attack was to punish those you believed were responsible for that and your commercial interest in stopping them pursuing activities in West Yorkshire. It led to you to try and kill these two men.
"It was also witnessed by neighbours and children playing outside. Your purpose was to kill the two men who you attacked and you attempted to do so in view of members of the public. You left the two men for dead. The impact on them and those who witnessed this attack was significant."
The court was told the men then disposed of items including a knife and glove and cleaned the Seat Leon they had attended the address in. The judge added: "None of you have shown any real remorse for your actions. I conclude in each of your cases you are highly dangerous men. This attack was planned, it was targeted, it used gratuitous violence and it involved multiple weapons."
Following the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Phil Davis at West Yorkshire Police, said: “These men have demonstrated a willingness to use extreme levels of violence in retaliation against a rival drugs line. This incident has taken place in broad daylight in a well-built up residential area and been witnessed by people in neighbouring properties, including children.
“One of the victims of this attack is likely to require lifelong care due to the injuries he sustained. These men could very easily have been facing murder charges with the injuries they inflicted.
“All four refused to accept responsibility for their actions and have shown little remorse for what they have done. They have been given significant prison sentences, and I hope this provides reassurance to the victims, their families and the wider public.”
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