Cousins assaulted off-duty police officer in Leeds city centre after confrontation in Revolucion de Cuba bar

Leeds Crown Court heard how Dwaine Elwood and Aiden Veira first encountered the victim and his friend in Revolucion de Cuba during a night out in October 2018. The friend had sat at a table inside the bar in Call Lane while the victim went to the toilet. Elwood went over and told the friend to move, prompting him to send a text message to the victim expressing concern.

Prosecutor David Ward said CCTV footage showed the “obvious disagreement” that followed and security staff became involved. The victim and his friend were taken outside and talked with the staff, before Veira appeared and explained they had done nothing wrong. He said it was his cousin, Elwood, who had behaved aggressively. The victim and his friend went back inside for a time but then moved to a different venue.

At around 3am, both groups ended up in the street at the same time. Mr Ward said that when Elwood and Veira saw the other men, they singled out the victim and “ambushed” him. He was punched repeatedly and suffered a fractured jaw. The court heard he immediately retreated, called the police and then got a taxi to hospital. He needed keyhole surgery and a plate in his jaw.

In a victim impact statement, the man said he had needed a lot of time off work and now felt like he had to look over his shoulder. He said he had experienced anxiety and it had caused difficulties with his work as a police officer.

The court heard Elwood and Veira came forward after police issued a CCTV appeal. In his interview, Elwood claimed the victim looked like he was going to hit him and he had acted in self-defence. Veira – who has previous convictions for violence – alleged he was hit first and left with a chipped tooth, but pictures on social media showed the damage pre-dated the incident. Both men denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but were found guilty at trial.

Charlotte Noddings, for 28-year-old Elwood, said her client was “not the man he was in 2018” and had turned his life around since then. She said he was excelling in his job, adding: “He doesn’t just act to better himself. He also acts to better his family.” The court heard he had also referred himself to the Forward Leeds service to reduce his use of cannabis.

Andrea Parnham, for Veira, said it was an “impulsive, short-lived assault” and there had been no further offending. She said her client now had a stable job, was doing well with his son and was working “very hard to move forward as a person”. In a meeting with the Probation Service, the 29-year-old had denied it was his intention to cause harm and expressed regret.

Addressing the pair, Judge Ray Singh said they were responsible for a “persistent” assault that had left the victim experiencing “prolonged” effects. He sentenced Elwood, of Stratford Street, Beeston, to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. Veira, of Town Street, Beeston, was given a two-year jail term, suspended for two years. Both men were also given four-month curfews, which apply daily between 8pm and 6am.