Batley man turned up at sister's home with kitchen knife before brawling with his brother

A Batley man who turned up to his sister's home with a knife and then brawled in the living room with his brother has avoided an immediate prison sentence.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Leeds Crown Court heard Saleem Sakharkar and his siblings had been involved in a dispute about their mother's estate for the past four years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 51-year-old believed it had been agreed that he would get his mother's home in Staincliffe, where he still lives, while his siblings would divide the rest of the estate.

Saleem Sakharkar appeared at Leeds Crown Court after admitting affray and possession of a knife.Saleem Sakharkar appeared at Leeds Crown Court after admitting affray and possession of a knife.
Saleem Sakharkar appeared at Leeds Crown Court after admitting affray and possession of a knife.

But the court was told that his siblings had taken legal advice and wanted the more valuable house to be added into a single pot to be shared by them all.

Prosecutor Glenn Parsons said Sakharkar began calling and texting his sister on December 28 last year and demanded money which he believed he was owed.

He threatened violence if he was not given the money by 6pm that day and said that he would kill her.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sakharkar later turned up at his sister's house and, once inside, got into a brawl with his brother.

The court heard he had a black kitchen knife, around 12in long in total, in his hand at the time.

When police arrived, Sakharkar was still pinning his brother down on the sofa.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Parsons said that while being held at the police station, Sakharkar had told another detainee that he was being held because he tried to kill his brother.

Sakharkar, of Park Croft, admitted affray and possession of a knife.

In a victim impact statement, his brother said tensions had been high in the family and he was worried because his sister and Sakharkar both live on the same street.

His sister said she was embarrassed that police had been called to the house and she no longer felt safe living there.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Christopher Dunn, mitigating, said his client's behaviour had been "stupid and inappropriate" but he had no intention to cause anyone an injury.

He said Sakharkar had told his four children that he did not want them to fall out with their relatives for rightly calling the police and he hoped to build bridges in time.

Six weeks spent in prison since his arrest had had a "very significant" impact on him, Mr Dunn added.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sentencing him, Judge Mushtaq Khokhar told Sakharkar: "When you are in possession of a knife, anything can happen in the heat of the moment."

He said he accepted that this had been an isolated incident and locking him up immediately would only delay the family issues being resolved.

Instead, Sakharkar was given a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 200 hours of unpaid work.

He was also made the subject of a five-year restraining order preventing any direct or indirect contact with his sister or brother, except through a solicitor, and banning him from approaching either of their homes.