‘Truly disgusting’ asylum-seeker threatened to rape and kill Leeds prison officer

Shekar Bafri was being held in HMP Leeds for burgling a property in Leeds and stealing £1,000 worth of items.

He became a nuisance prisoner and spit guards were regularly placed over his cell hatch because of his disdain for the officers, prosecutor Lauren Smith told Leeds Crown Court.

On three occasions last year he managed to remove the guard and spit in the face of officers. He tried to grab one female and made the rape and death threat, while he threatened to rape the mother of a male officer on separate occasion after spitting on him also.

The 23-year-old Kurd, of no fixed address, admitted three counts of assaulting an emergency worker, and one of common assault.

For the burglary, he was found guilty after a trial. Despite his blood being found at the home on Bawn Drive in Farnley, along with his finger prints, he continued to deny involvement.

It was heard that he walked across Leeds to reach the home, and used a knife to break into the room of another asylum seeker.

Mitigating, James Holding said Bafri had been put to work by criminal gangs in Middlesbrough after being brought over to the UK. He said he was still a young man but was aware a custodial sentence was inevitable.

Judge Neil Clark called Bafri “truly disgusting” for his actions in prison, and told him he should not be permitted to remain in the UK. He jailed him for three years and six months.