Seven sentenced over Shrewsbury street brawl

The drunken brawl happened outside The Buttermarket in Shrewsbury, during which one man suffered a broken nose and one of the defendants was left unconscious.

Much of the incident in December 2014 was captured on CCTV and was shown at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.

Seven men from Telford, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton and Wrexham appeared for sentence having admitted various roles in the fighting.

Judge Jim Tindal said the defendants were part of a maelstrom of violence.

In the dock yesterday were John Lane, 44, of Bushbury, Wolverhampton, who was working as a doorman at the club, Jurain Elliot, 34, a gym instructor, of Burford in Brookside, Telford, and Dharmesh Rana, 32, of Shay Lane in Forton, near Newport, who were at the club with two friends.

Two Shrewsbury men – Gareth Brotherton, 26, of Maple Drive, and Andre Weiss, 24, of Radbrook Hall Court – were also in the dock along with two men from the Wrexham area – Aaron Roberts, 19, of Vicarage Fields, Ruabon, and Christopher Pugh, 24, of Quay Bron, Gresford.

Miss Samantha Powis, prosecuting, said the defendants had admitted offences of affray or common assault based on the incidents in Howard Street in the early hours.

The court heard the violence started after Rana and Elliot and two of their friends were ejected from the club.

Miss Powis said Elliot had struck another man which left the victim with a broken nose and Rana and the others had run down the street where Weiss and Brotherton were leaving from another entrance.

The fighting continued during which Elliot punched Weiss in the face leaving him unconscious on the ground. Lane, one of the security staff, who had tried to split Rana and Brotherton, suffered a kick to the face and, in rage, he had then kicked out at a man on the ground.

Pugh had kicked out at the same man on the ground and missed, but had kicked Lane. There was random fighting which involved Roberts.

Elliot, who was responsible for two direct assaults and was involved throughout, was jailed for 12 months and Rana, who was also involved throughout, was given 12 months, suspended for two years, 200 hours work and a four month monitored curfew.

Lane, who was said to have been involved in "a moment of madness", was given a six month community order and 100 hours work.

Roberts, Pugh and Brotherton were all given 12 month community orders with a four month curfew and Weiss was given a 12 month community order and 100 hours unpaid work. All seven defendants were ordered to pay £100 costs.