SEVERAL men who got involved in a 'bar room brawl' at a Chester pub following a day at the races have been sentenced.

Todd Luke Bailes, 27, of Severn Drive, Burntwood; Dean Robert Clarke, 48, of Earl drive, Burntwood; Jake Harrison, 27, of Grenside Avenue, Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent and Lewis Jones, 27, of Rochester Avenue, Burntwood, all pleaded guilty to affray when they appeared at Chester Magistrates Court on Monday, October 14.

The charge related to a brawl which happened in the courtyard of the Saddle Inn pub in Grosvenor Street on September 2, 2017.

Neil Fitzpatrick, prosecuting, said all four defendants had got involved in the brawl and looked agitated before being ushered away.

Clarke had two previous convictions, the last in 2004; Harrison had one previous conviction and Bailes and Jones had no previous convictions.

Clare Roche, defending Bailes and Jones, said both were of previous good character and were remorseful.

Bailes's family were not proud of what he had done but accepted it was part of a mass brawl. He worked hard as a carpenter and this would sometimes require leaving the house at 5am on Mondays.

He had been in Chester at the races and was celebrating at his father's stag do.

Jones worked as a steel processor and had put in an application with his partner to do conservation work in New Zealand and Thailand.

Scott McCrimmon, defending Clarke, said the defendant's involvement in the incident was 'momentary', with references showing he was a hardworking, dedicated family man, and who volunteered at a local football club. Like Bailes, he also worked as a carpenter and would need to leave at 5am on Mondays, to collect an apprentice.

Simon Dykes, defending Harrison, said the defendant wished to turn back the clock, but alcohol got into his inhibitions on the day, and it was very out of character.

The past two years had weighed heavily on him and he had been very careful since when it came to drink.

District Judge Nicholas Sanders, sentencing the quartet, said: "It's a great shame; you are not the 'normal' people who we see dealing with these issues in the town centre.

"You are all hardworking, with family commitments.

"This should have come to court a lot earlier, that's not your fault. but this incident had the potential to go badly wrong. The injuries were fairly limited.

"You should be ashamed of the bar room brawl; I get that impression that you are."

All four defendants were handed a 30-week weekend curfew of 7pm-7am for Friday and Saturday nights, and 7pm-4.30am on Sunday nights.

They must each pay £85 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

Previously, Nathan Jones, 30, of Stoneycroft, Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent; Stephen John Palmer, 51, of Orchard Avenue, Cannock; Adrian Rigby, 30, of Bellerton Lane, Norton, Stoke-on-Trent and David Mark Walker, 35, of Hartleyburn, Stonydelph, Tamworth, all pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to affray at Chester Magistrates Court for their parts in the incident.

In addition, Nathan Jones admitted assaulting a barmaid in the brawl, injuring her.

All were handed a 30-week Friday/Saturday/Sunday 7pm-7am curfew and ordered to pay costs, with Jones also placed on a suspended sentence and ordered to pay compensation to the barmaid.

  • Jack Proudmore, 30, of Norton Crescent, Smallthorne, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to affray in connection with the same incident at Chester Magistrates Court on Monday, October 14, as well as grievous bodily harm without intent on co-defendant Oliver Steele. Steele, 27, of Hallum Way, Hednesford, Cannock, also pleaded guilty to affray.

The court heard there was a verbal argument between the pair, Steele headbutted Proudmore and Proudmore retaliated by hitting Steele on the head with a glass.

Their case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be compiled on them. both are due to be sentenced on November 15.

District Judge Sanders told them: "You played a more significant role than some of the others. You [Steele] first got involved with the whole thing and [Proudmore] retaliated in a way that caused injuries.

"It could have been a lot worse but thankfully was not."