Man jailed for stabbing spectator at bare-knuckle fight

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 6 Nov, 04:26 · Archive

A man has been jailed for three years for stabbing a spectator during a bare-knuckle fight in a Keighley park.

Bilaal Saleem, 24, of Spencer Street, Keighley, has been sentenced to three years in prison for malicious wounding and possessing an offensive weapon in public following an incident at Devonshire Park in Keighley on the afternoon of 31 July.

The bare-knuckle fight involved two men from warring families who had gathered approximately 40 spectators to settle a dispute. Video footage shown in court captured the initial fight, with both men squaring up before one punched his opponent to the ground twice. Following pre-arranged rules agreed by spectators, the winning fighter stepped back after the second knockdown to avoid hitting a downed opponent. A voice on the recording can be heard calling out 'Back up, boys! Fair fight!'

Saleem then stepped forward from the crowd of spectators, appearing to remove a knife from a small crossbody bag and stab the man in the leg before being pulled away by others in the crowd. The victim suffered a 2cm long by 3.6cm deep wound and required hospital surgery, losing between half a litre and a litre of blood. The court heard the stabbing was the third time Saleem had stabbed someone. He gave himself up on 4 August and was arrested.

How it is being reported

• Man stabbed by member of 40-strong crowd during bare knuckle fight in popular parkA court has seen video footage of a shocking bare-knuckle fight between two men in a Keighley park that culminated in one of the pair being stabbed.Keighley News · 6 Nov, 03:04
• Man stabbed by member of 40-strong crowd during bare knuckle fight in parkThe court heard that the incident represented the third time he had stabbed someone.Telegraph & Argus · 6 Nov, 03:00

In this story: Bilaal Saleem · Keighley · Devonshire Park

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