Thug stabbed man before running through Leeds city centre with handgun

A drug-dealing thug stabbed a man in an alleyway[1] and then acquired a handgun on a night out in Leeds city centre. Cameron Collier, 21, had no previous convictions before carrying out his dangerous crime spree which began in May 2021 when he attacked a man in Garforth. Prosecutor Jade Edwards told Leeds Crown Court[2] on Friday that a man had been with friends outside Wetherspoons on Main Street when a fight broke out between two groups.

The man and his group went to see what was going on before police broke it up and a silver Clio with the defendant and his co-accused inside was caught on CCTV arriving nearby. Ms Edwards said: "They ran through a car park onto Main Street, walked past the complainant and officers and around two minutes later headed back towards the car park and the complainant and his group followed behind. "As they went into a ginnel he [the defendant] got out a knife and confronted the complainant, telling him: 'Have you been fighting with my boys?' The defendant can be seen on CCTV lunging to the complainant with the knife stabbing him once in the leg."

The court[4] heard he lunged again, this time to the complainant's chest, but he managed to turn and instead sustained an injury to his arm. The pair ran from the scene and Collier's co-accused was arrested first and denied knowing who the attacker was. On June 11 the same year, at around 9.10pm, officers saw the Clio again and it was searched - revealing a number of bags of cannabis from Collier's man bag and an expendable baton.

He told police in custody he was addicted to weed before GBP526 in cash and two mobile phones were seized from him. Ms Edwards said: "He claimed the cannabis was for his own personal use and he had a lawful excuse for the baton. He was not linked to the attack at that point and released under investigation.

When an officer involved saw body worn footage of the search of his home, he saw a black parka coat. Officers seized a jacket identical to that worn during the attack. He was arrested in July 2021...He told officers the coat belonged to his mother and she gave a statement saying she had never owned a parka-style coat."

The court heard a grinder, grip seal bags of cannabis, a joint and large machete was also found.

It was on November 15 last year while on a night out in Leeds city centre that Collier teamed up with two other men and raced through the streets with weapons. Ms Edwards said just after 1am Collier, of no fixed abode, was captured on CCTV being approached by another man outside Space nightclub, which he then ran inside of. He was seen leaving the nightclub again at 2.30am, running away and then returning with a bag while wearing white gloves.

Two other men were with him and the group walked to the man Collier had had the earlier interaction with. Ms Edwards said: "He turned to one of the other men who withdrew a machete from his trousers and they ran towards the group. The group dispersed.

His group ran through the streets of Leeds where the man brandished the machete. People seemed shocked by what they were doing." An officer hot on their heels eventually caught them out and searched Collier as she was approached by another man who was holding a bag with a firearm inside. "He indicated the gun had been discarded by the defendant," Ms Edwards said.

"The officer was told he saw the defendant throw the bag under a parked car and he had collected it to see what it was. That gun was later examined and found to be a black cartridge firing pistol capable of firing." In interview, Collier told police he was having a cigarette when he was approached by a man and shown a knife in the waistband of his trousers and asked if he knew someone.

He told officer he had gone back inside and called a friend who arrived and showed him the gun. Collier claimed he did not know his friends had weapons. When shown the CCTV footage he made no further comment.

The court was told that on June 4 this year, officers attended the property where Collier was living and as no one was there, forced entry, but his mother and stepfather arrived during the search. It was said that a 9mm round, magazine, gun, digital scales, cannabis, a container of white powder, a knife and bags of cocaine were found. After the arrest of his family, Collier called and told police he would hand himself in, which he did.

Ms Edwards said: "In interview he gave a pre-prepared statement saying he was holding the firearm for others and had been forced to do so due to being threatened. His phone was downloaded and contained messages indicating the supply of drugs. The court heard Collier had no cautions, warnings, convictions or reprimands on his record.

Mitigating, Harry Crowson, said: "The defendant has really now started to understand the danger he puts himself in.

It will have been traumatic that he was the face of such horrendous violence. He is processing that...He realises now it is not a game. Not only were the offences close to him being a child, he is now only a few years into his adulthood and will spend the next few years around professionals and professionals who know what he did.

"The next stage of his life will be spent behind bars among those who made more foolish decisions than him and others who know what he did." His Honour Judge Batty made Collier the subject of an extended sentence made up of 13 years and four months in custody and three years on extended licence. The judge told him the offences he had admitted - wounding with intent, possession of a bladed article, possession of an offensive weapon, possession with intent to supply class B drugs, possession of class B drugs, two counts of possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearms certificate, possession of class A drugs with intent to supply, possession of class A drugs and possession of criminal property - "are quite an incredible catalogue of offences."

He added: "They demonstrate someone I consider at this moment in time, to be quite dangerous." Collier will have to serve two-thirds of the custodial sentence behind bars before going before the Parole Board who will consider if he is safe to be released.

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References

1. ^ stabbed a man in an alleyway (www.leeds-live.co.uk)
2. ^ Leeds Crown Court (www.leeds-live.co.uk)
3. ^ Police search for three people after serious assault on two men in Armley (www.leeds-live.co.uk)
4. ^ court (www.leeds-live.co.uk)
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