Derby man 'acted like some kind of Medieval warrior king' during 'abhorrent' kabaddi violence

Seven men who carried out “an abhorrent” level of violence with guns, machetes and knives at a Derby kabaddi event have been jailed for a combined total of almost 40 years. Judge Jonathan Bennett told the group what they did was “undoubtedly planned” as one of them, from Derby, was shot in the groin “while acting like some kind of Medieval warrior king” at the scene in Alvaston.

Video played during the trial of two of the men at Derby Crown Court showed rival gangs in running battles during the pre-arranged fight as shocked onlookers fled in fear. During it, another man attacked with weapons as he lay on the ground. And the full motive for why they did what they did may never be known.

Sentencing the men - from Derby, Middlesex and the West Midlands - the judge said: “This was undoubtedly planned violence. Both groups brought firearms, knives, swords and bats with them, many had travelled long distances and around 40 men were involved in the serious disorder. About half a dozen firearms were discharged and at least four people required immediate hospital treatment.

“Police recovered bladed articles, swords, bats and two firearms, both loaded. The cause of the incident remains unknown, no defendant has chosen to explain this.

“There has been a conspiracy of silence as to the origin of the violence. One of the defendants, in his pre-sentence report, said ‘all I know is that it involved honour from one of the parties, I did not question it, it was justified’.

“Anything else is just pure speculation. Any injuries were brought about by their voluntary decision to take part in this organised violence. The consequences for those involved were immense, most have families, most are in employment and few have been involved in trouble before.

“Yet they travelled from across the country to take part in this organised violence. This was a confrontation which required significant planning where groups had an arsenal of weapons."

The trial heard how a number of people were injured when violence broke out between two groups. Police were called to the scene, off Elvaston Lane, just before 4pm on Sunday August 20, 2023, after reports of shots being fired and people fighting with weapons.

The fight had been pre-planned with a group meeting in Brunswick Street, Derby, beforehand.

Parminder Singh was one of those who attended the pre-meeting and was captured on drone footage wearing a face covering and with his hood up. He was also seen to move towards a hedge between two fields at the scene, with police later locating a shoulder bag in the area which contained a loaded semi-automatic pistol.

His DNA was found on both the pistol and the bag. The 25-year-old, of Parkes Road, Smethwick, Sandwell, in the West Midlands, was convicted of violent disorder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause violence and was jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Malkeet Singh was part of the other group and was also involved with the violence before he was then “horrifically” assaulted and suffered injuries to his head. The 24-year-old, of Court Road, Wolverhampton, was convicted of violent disorder and received a three-year jail term.

Nicola Hunter, mitigating, said her client arrived in the UK in 2020 on a student visa and has become a listener for The Samaritans while remanded into custody.

Five other people have already pleaded guilty to their involvement in the disorder. They are:

• Karamjit Singh, 36, of Shakespeare Street, Sinfin, – possession of a bladed article - a machete - violent disorder and an unrelated offence of possession of an axe on an earlier occasion in April of last year. He was shot in the groin during the incident, had to have the bullet removed during surgery at hospital and was jailed for four-and-a-half years. Judge Bennett said: “You were a determined participant at the front of one of the groups and acted like some kind of Medieval warrior king.”
• Baljit Singh, 33, a married father-of two, of Lawfred Avenue, Wolverhampton – possession of a bladed article and violent disorder. The judge handed him a three year and nine months sentence.
• Hardev Uppal, 34, a father-of-three of Sycamore Road, Tipton – possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and wounding with intent. He was the man who shot the Turkish revolver at Karamjit Singh and also suffered a fractured skull himself. He was sent to prison for 10 years and 10 months with the judge saying: "You went to that field well-equipped and expecting serious violence."
• Jagjit Singh, a 31-year-old married father-of-two with no previous convictions and the younger brother of co-defendant Baljit Singh, of Bolton Road, Wolverhampton – possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. The judge jailed him for four-and-a-half years.
• Doodhnath Tripathi, 29, of Manor Avenue, Hounslow – violent disorder and wounding. He used a sword to launch a "ferocious attack with no remorse” on Malkeet Singh. He was handed a five year and 10 months prison sentence.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Croome, the senior investigating officer, said: “This should have been a fun family day out at a sporting event but it descended into a huge violent disorder which left multiple people injured and many people in fear for their safety.

“These men attended this event with the specific intention of causing trouble having pre-planned their attack and arming themselves with weapons. Their actions and the level of violence seen on this day was abhorrent.

“For the many people who attended the event with good intentions, this was a very frightening and upsetting scene and we are grateful to them, as well as the wider community, for all of their help with our investigation throughout.

“We know this investigation has had a huge impact on people and I’d like to thank all those who have helped us bring these seven men to justice as well as all of the officers involved in what has been a long and very complex investigation.”

And Detective Constable Stevie Barker, who led the investigation, added: “These men showed a blatant disregard for the safety of others during this event, which was intended to be a fun sporting tournament but ended with mindless violence caused by these two groups.

“Their actions on the day left a number of people with physical injuries and also had a mental and emotional impact on the hundreds of spectators who were there to enjoy the Kabaddi tournament with their friends and families.

“The subsequent investigation into this disorder has been very complex and wide-ranging, involving hundreds of officers, not just from Derbyshire but across the country and I’d like to thank them for all of their help.

“I’m also very grateful to the local community for their support in the days and weeks that followed this incident as I know it did have a significant impact on them.”