Man jailed after using his crutches as weapon in two attacks

In one of the incidents, Billy Cameron, 24, hit another man across the face so hard, the crutch was snapped in half.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Cameron, of Brackenwood Close, Ilkley, was easily identified due to using medical boots and crutches following a heel injury.

Brook Street in Ilkley (Image: Google Street View)

The prosecutor told the court that the first incident took place at around 3am in Ilkley town centre on September 17.

Cameron was part of a group that confronted two men and a woman who were waiting for a taxi.

The prosecutor said Cameron struck one man across the face with his crutch – and the force used was so strong that the crutch itself split in half.

Bradford Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

The victim’s face was covered in a significant amount of blood and he suffered a swollen nose as well as cuts to the face.

She added that it was not clear who had assaulted the other male victim, but that he sustained a cut and a lump to his forehead.

At one point, one of the male victims shouted that he thought Cameron was holding a blade – and a Stanley knife was later found at the scene by police.

In the second incident, which took place outside Keighley Bus Station the following evening at around 9.30pm, a security officer alerted police to a group of men attacking another man.

The prosecutor described how CCTV footage showed Cameron making his way towards the ongoing fight and striking the man twice on the head with his crutch, while five other men continued to kick the victim who was on the floor.

Keighley Bus Station (Image: Google Street View)

By the time the police arrived, the victim had gone and was never identified.

Cameron pleaded guilty to possession of a blade in a public place and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the Ilkley incident, and affray in relation to the Keighley incident.

It also emerged that Cameron was the only person identified in relation to either of the two incidents – and that these offences were committed on licence.

In mitigation, the court heard that Cameron suffered from foetal alcohol syndrome, which has a “significant effect on his functioning” and ADHD.

Recorder Andrew Smith sentenced Cameron to 20 months imprisonment, adding: “These two incidents demonstrate what can go wrong out on the street.”

He described Cameron as having used his crutches as an “improvised weapon” and said the Keighley bus station attack must have been a “fearsome sight” for the public.