A mentally ill chef broke into a flat belonging to students and threatened them with a metal bar.
Leeds Crown Court heard Leigham Richards forced entry into the Hyde Park flat wearing all black clothing, including a bandana over his face and gloves, and brandishing the weapon.
He threatened the students, forcing them to leave the flat, before accusing them of stealing his WiFi and conspiring to burgle his home.
The 29-year-old, who lives in a flat on adjacent Victoria Road, was handed a suspended sentence today (Monday) after pleading guilty to affray and possession of an offensive weapon.
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Prosecutor Adam Keenaghan said the defendant damaged doors to get into Victoria Court Mews student accommodation at around 6pm on February 1, 2021.
He said a man and a woman went to investigate the noise and were confronted by the defendant, who had his hood up and was wearing a bandana and gloves while brandishing the weapon.
Richards shouted and waved the bar around, asking why they had been watching him.
He said they had to leave and go downstairs or he would 'do them in'.
The students left the flat and went downstairs, but Richards kept shouting at them, saying: "This is my city."
He asked them about stealing his WiFi and accused them of conspiring to break into his flat.
The students called police and Richards was found in the car park with the weapon.
He was told to drop it and told officers to 'f**k off' before being arrested.
The court was told the incident lasted around 20 minutes.
In his police interview, Richards said students were harassing him, hacking into his WiFi, reading his messages and messing with his TV and broke into his flat the previous weekend.
He denied being under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or medication.
The female student said she felt extremely anxious and nervous following the incident.
Richards had no convictions prior to this case.
The court was told Richards' mental health declined after he was stabbed in Leeds city centre in February 2020 and he became isolated during lockdown.
The court was told the defendant, who works as a part-time chef, has stopped using cannabis and has sought support for his mental health issues.
Nicholas Hammond, mitigating, said his client pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
Richards was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, with a requirement to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity.
