A Leeds Beckett student has been jailed for 18 months after an unprovoked violent attack left a fellow student partially blind.

Sam Kalati had been drinking heavily prior to the assault and was seen on CCTV crawling out of a lift in the Plaza student halls. Sports therapy student, Bruno Horatio, 20, approached Kalati with the intention of helping him when he was grabbed by Kalati and repeatedly punched in the face.

The extreme nature of his injuries put Horatio into a coma for 24 hours and permanently impaired the vision in his left eye.

Kalati pleaded guilty to committing grievous bodily harm. He was described as being “paralytic” during the attack, and told police: “I am completely disgusted with what I have done to that poor guy.”

Detective Inspector James Entwistle said: “The victim was a completely innocent party who saw Kalati collapsed and went to his aid and was attacked for no reason. As a result he has been left with a life-changing injury that has seriously affected his future.

“We hope the prison sentence Kalati has received will serve as a stark reminder to others of the serious penalties they can face if they engage in mindless violence such as this.”

As a result of his injuries and his extended time in hospital, Horatio is now unable to continue playing rugby for Leeds Beckett University and has had to start the first year of his course over again.

Recorder Toby Wynn described the “cancer of drunken violence” in society. He added that the sentence was a strong deterrent: “people need to be deterred from inflicting this mindless violence.”

Euan Hammond 

(Image: Leeds Beckett University)