Wigan councillor writes to Attorney General over "unduly lenient" sentence for violence rampage man

Delroy Zinyemba suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and was spared jail after admitting that he attacked four people “at random” in a 15-minute spree through Leigh town centre.

Coun James Fish wants the Attorney General, Victoria Prentis, to consider tougher sanctions than the community sentence he received because he fears he might be a further danger to the public.

The 28-year-old from Union Street in Leigh, inflicted injuries, some of them serious, on four men in the series of attacks on the evening of May 15 this year and also smashed one of his victim’s phones.

The sentencing hearing at Bolton Crown Court heard that he knocked all four of his victims to ground and then rained down punches and kicks on them.

None of them had ever seen their assailant before, Zinyemba having accused the first of attacking his “missus.”

One told the court he feared he was going to be killed, another suffered facial injuries and suspected broken ribs.

A week later Zinyemba saw one of his victims and apologised to him, saying his “mind was somewhere else” and they shook hands.

He was later arrested on suspicion of four counts of causing actual bodily harm and one of criminal damage.

The court heard he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia which had been aggravated by drug and alcohol use.

After hearing that Zinyemba had responded well to treatment Judge Martin Walsh gave him a three-year community order imposed concurrently for each offence.

This comprises a three-year mental health treatment requirement and a 50-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was also ordered to make a payment to victim services.

But Coun Fish says he has serious concerns that the sentence might be unduly lenient.

He said: “These assaults were totally random and Judge Walsh said they “could have been catastrophic” which shows what a risk Mr Zinyemba poses to members of the public

“In a statement read out in court, one victim said he feared he was going to be killed and that there was “sheer venom” in his assailant’s eyes.

"What is to say that Mr Zinyemba is going to put members of the public in danger by carrying out further random attacks which could cause far more serious injuries than they did this time?

"Given the risk to the public I am asking the Attorney General whether she feels it is unduly lenient and a greater punishment should have been imposed.”