Racist thug jailed after telling woman he planted bomb and counting down from 10

Aaran Barden targeted a number of people in his racist attack

A vile racist thug who told a family a bomb was going to go off and counted down from 10 while a terrified woman was stuck in her car has been jailed.

Aaran Barden, 33, of no fixed abode, first racially abused a taxi driver taking him to Middleton on August 12 last year, telling him: “You p*** b*****, one of you took my money and drove off yesterday.”

Prosecutor Zanisha Herbert told Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday Barden then began to talk about a “bomb” and said he had one in his bag. He then told the taxi driver: “I’m going to blow you up.”

Ms Herbert told the court: “The driver told him he was British and he said, ‘You are not from here.’ He turned his attention to members of the public on the street, shouting out of the car window to a group of Asian women, ‘F*** off you p*** b*******.;

“The family was targeted when he got out of the taxi. A woman was in a charity shop with her seven-year-old daughter and her sister-in-law and when they went outside her daughter was targeted by him. She detailed she left the shop and heard the defendant shouting at her daughter and sister-on-law, ‘F**** you’ and ‘Go back to your f****** country.'”

The court heard Barden was then indicating he was going to kill her. The woman tried to shield her mum, but Barden went up to her and verbally abused her, telling her: “I will kill you, go back to your own country.”

The woman tried to protect themselves by going into a shop but was followed by Barden. Shop workers took them to the back for their own safety and other customers tried to intervene before Barden attempted to enter through a side door.

Ms Herbert said: “He said he had a bomb and would blow them up. He sprayed an inhaler into the shop.”

Barden later went on to follow one of the women, who got into the passenger seat of her car as it was the nearest available to her. The prosecutor said: “He kicked the doors and he said: ‘Get out of the country, why are you here?’

“He crouched down and said, ‘In 10 seconds, it’s going to bomb’ and began to count down. She was afraid of him. The police were called and officers checked the shop’s CCTV and recognised this defendant and he was arrested.”

Barden – who had previous convictions for failing to comply with court orders and racially aggravated harassment – went on to admit communicating false information with intent, in relation to him claiming he had a bomb, and three counts of racially aggravated disorderly behaviour intended to cause alarm or distress.

Mitigating, Anastasis Tasou, told the court Barden is prescribed Olanzapine, which he had not taken at the time of the offence. He said: “It must have been a significant effect due to the lack of that medication. A psychiatrist has stated various controlling influences and these were absent.

“He has continued to improve remarkably since he has been in custody. At the plea, trial and preparation hearing, he was still in the early days of receiving treatment and the difference in presentation between then and today’s sentencing hearing has been improved. He has had the opportunity now that his mind has been calmed by that medication and is no longer experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations.

“He is able to realise the impact his behaviour had on that particular day. He is, I submit, genuinely remorseful. Beyond that, he is a defendant that, having gained that insight, now knows what he must do to keep himself on that level. He has engaged with services while in custody.”

Mr Recorder Baird jailed Barden for 16 months.

Leeds Live