Groom-to-be wearing wedding dress knocked out in ‘wild west’ brawl on his own stag do after workmen attacked party
THUG builders knocked out a wedding dress-wearing stag in a “brawl from the wild west”, a court heard.
Vile Anthony Hughes, 28, told police “I’m not a**ed what happens” after leaving David Baron unconscious in a pool of his own blood.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday how the stag party were thrown out of McCooley’s on Wood Street for flouting social distancing rules on June 25, 2021.
As they walked along Fleet Street playfighting at around 6.30pm, a group of paving contractors approached them before returning to their van.
CCTV showed stag party member Gary Ollard following them and shouting before James Coleman and Hughes got out the van, MEN reported.
Coleman – seen smoking a cigarette – thumped one party member in the face before running back to the van.
Chaos erupted when dress-wearing Mr Baron began “pointing and saying something” to the van as several workmen jumped out.
A brawl ensued as Hughes punched two party goers, he was dragged off them but then charged at Mr Baron and “suckerpunched” him from behind.
Unconscious Mr Baron fell to the ground as Hughes sent a second party-goer to the floor – hitting their head on the pavement – before attacking a passer-by who attended to Mr Baron.
Ollard, 37, was then seen wrapping his belt around his right hand before punching Coleman, who grabbed a spade and hit another man.
He swung the spade at innocent Alex Watson – hunched over Mr Baron – whose arm was bashed up trying to protect himself.
The van was then driven unconcious mr Baron who was dragged out its path “just in time” by those tending to him.
He suffered a gash to his head and “multiple deep wounds to the back of his head” and was rushed to the Royal Liverpool Hospital in an ambulance for treatment.
Coleman – who described “seeing a white flash” when receiving the blow from Ollard – was taken to hospital with a fractured eye socket and received six stitches.
Asked why he attacked innocent Mr Baron , Hughes replied: “Why did I do it? I don’t know why. I hit that kid. Why didn’t I just keep my hand to myself and do nothing?”
He then began laughing and added: “I’m just thinking about what happened, and it was funny wasn’t it? Nah, it wasn’t funny. I’m not a**ed what happens anyway. I was only protecting myself.”
Sentencing, Recorder Richard Conway said: “Suffice to say, this was an incident of public disorder of the worst possible kind.”
“They [the public] all had to observe and witness a street brawl of a kind that you might expect to see in the wild west.”
Hughes was jailed for two years after admitting wounding without intent and affray.
Ollard – who has nine previous convictions for 11 offences including glassing someone in a pub – was given a two-year sentence suspended for two years plus 180 hours of unpaid work
Coleman – who has ten sets of convictions for 15 offences – was handed 21 months after pleading guilty to affray and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.