A father and son who beat up two doormen at a Wrexham pub have been banned from Wales. Bradley Birtles started the fight and his Dad Keith Hall got involved.
They admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. Birtles, who had been working with his father and another man as scaffolders in North Wales, had taken cocaine before the incident at The Midland on High Street.
A judge at Mold Crown Court gave Birtles, 22, and Hall, 46, both of Staffordshire, a two-year jail term, suspended for two years. She also banned both men from Wales for a year.
Prosecutor Ryan Rothwell said CCTV footage showed Birtles behaving “boisterously” and becoming “increasingly agitated” inside the pub on February 22. He came outside to the doorway and made a comment about people allegedly being “treated strange” when they were from Birmingham, the court heard.
The staff went into the pub and later Birtles grabbed one doorman David Jones and began punching him. Hall initially tried to split them up but the incident continued.
Another doorman Andrew Howell took hold of Hall but then fell to the floor and Hall stamped on his head, the court heard. As the fracas went on Birtles kicked Mr Howell in the head, knocking him unconscious, before kicking Mr Howell a further four times.
Mr Howell was “uncertain” how long he was out for but remembers waking up surrounded by a group of women. Birtles and Hall then both punched Mr Jones, who also recalls being bitten.
Police were called at 11.40pm that evening and a pub area manager also arrived. Mr Jones sustained injuries included a “lump on the head” and a chipped tooth.
Mr Howell suffered cuts and bruises among his injuries. Both are now “nervous” about going to work.
In a statement Mr Jones also said had lost HGV driving work, worth £7,200, due to his injuries. The judge said the defendants used a “shod foot” as a weapon and the incident would affect anyone including bouncers.
Birtles admitted he had been drinking and had taken cocaine. Hall said he had tried to stop the fight at first but it “blew up”.
The judge Her Honour Nicola Jones told Birtles, of Princess Street, Burntwood near Cannock, that he had been “stupid and ridiculous”. She told Hall, of Park Hill Road, Burntwood: “You had been looking after your son – not in the best way.”
But she noted Birtles is “utterly ashamed” of himself “and so should you be, coming here to this country. You were working and assaulted someone here. No.”
Handing down the suspended sentence there was also an eight-month, concurrent jail term for both defendants for committing affray in the same incident, which was also suspended. Both must do 20 days of rehabilitation activity and both are banned from Wales for 12 months.
Source – North Wales Live
