WATCH: 13 bikers jailed over Halloween 'ride-out' in Leeds
Thirteen bikers who caused chaos in a ``Mad Max-style'' Halloween ride-out in Leeds city centre have been jailed.
Last updated 11th Jul 2017
They were handed prison sentences of between 12 months and two years for their parts in the organised event, which saw more than 100 riders on motorbikes and quad bikes disrupting traffic and riding through pedestrianised areas.
David Armitage, who organised the event through social media, was filmed during the incident encouraging carnage'' and telling riders to
shut down'' the city centre.
Police said the lawlessness and fear caused on October 31 led to people branding the scene as like Mel Gibson film Mad Max.
WATCH: Shocking CCTV footage released by police shows riders speeding through the shopping areas of Leeds (Video credit: West Yorkshire Police)
Sending a deterrent
Sentencing the defendants at Leeds Crown Court, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: This is a case which calls for a deterrent sentence.
Behaviour of this sort, having serious effects on this city, cannot be tolerated.'
The bikers, on motorbikes, scooters, scramblers and quad bikes, gathered en masse'' on Kirkstall Road and Leeds city centre at rush hour.
Some of the riders were not wearing helmets and some were wearing face coverings, including Halloween-style masks. A number of the bikes did not have licence plates.
The bikers were seen speeding, weaving in and out of vehicles, riding on pavements, in bike and bus lanes, through pedestrian-only areas and red lights and on the wrong side of the road, and performing wheelies and other stunts.
One group of riders drove through a narrow, pedestrianised shopping arcade in the city centre, with one quad bike colliding with a motorcycle and injuring the rider's leg.
Judge Marson said bikes were seen riding on pavements towards groups of children out trick-or-treating, customers at a supermarket on Kirkstall Road were unable to leave and the store had to close early as a result of the disruption
Police received around 160 calls from the public and took the decision to close a section of Kirkstall Road, which was eventually reopened at around 10.10pm.
'Carnage and mayhem'
Michael Quinn from the CPS said:
“These defendants set out to cause what they termed online as, ‘carnage’ and ‘mayhem’ in Leeds that day. Many of the public were extremely frightened by these criminal acts. It is only by good fortune that no one was seriously injured or killed.
“The CPS worked with police to ensure that those responsible faced charges that reflected the danger and widespread alarm they caused. Today’s sentences should leave them in no doubt of the serious consequences of this type of criminal behaviour. They risk custody and driving bans.”