Newcastle crown and combined magistrates court, Newcastle Quayside(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Thugs who have caused bar brawls in the North East - including two who sparked mass pub fight

A number of revellers have suffered devastating injuries as a result of the incidents

by · ChronicleLive

These are the brutal thugs who faced the courts after causing fights in pubs across the North East.

Their violent actions had a devastating impact on their victims, with one man left paralysed after being attacked.

Two thugs appeared in court after they sparked a mass brawl as dozens of Newcastle fans watched their team in the league cup final. Three men who instigated a pub brawl after believing a phone had been stolen were also put behind bars.

Another drunk reveller left a bar steward unconscious and needing stitches to his face after he launched an unprovoked attack outside some toilets, while a one punch attacker left a milkman paralysed after punching him outside a pub.

One boorish bar thug smacked a man over the head with a glass when confronted about grabbing his crotch.

Here is a round up of thugs who have appeared in court in recent months.

Mass brawl in pub as Newcastle United fans watched league cup final

Two thugs sparked a mass brawl in a Tyneside pub as dozens of Newcastle fans watched their team in the league cup final.
Around 130 Newcastle fans, including a woman with a young baby and elderly people, had packed into the Black Bull pub, in Benton, North Tyneside, on February 26 last year to watch the Magpies play Manchester United at Wembley. However the day out turned to fear and distress shortly before half-time when Brett Armstrong and Curtis Bateman sparked ugly scenes of violence during which punches, tables and a plant pot were thrown.
A woman was among those punched, a table hit an elderly man on the head and TV in the beer garden worth thousands was smashed with a plant pot during the pair's "rampage". Now Armstrong, who branded himself a "scumbag" and Bateman, both of Cotswold Gardens, High Heaton, Newcastle, have been given suspended prison sentences at Newcastle Crown Court.
CCTV of the brawl was played to the court, showing Bateman wearing a Newcastle United top for parts of the incident. At one point he had hold of an empty glass and a concerned woman was seen trying to move glasses out of the way.
Bateman was seen at one point to punch a woman with blond hair in the face. And Armstrong threw a table at one point, which hit an elderly man on the back of the head.
A fight then broke out between them and a number of people before they moved to the beer garden. Armstrong threw a plant pot and, while the footage doesn't show where it landed, a TV outside was damaged and the cost of the damage was around £6,000.
Three people were injured, including one who was struck with a glass, but none of them pursued a complaint.
Armstrong and Bateman were identified as the culprits by the manager because they were regulars in the pub.
Bateman, 27, who has six previous convictions including for GBH and assault, and Armstrong, 28, who has one previous conviction for making off without payment, both pleaded guilty to affray and Armstrong also admitted criminal damage.
The judge said he was only just persuaded he could suspend the sentence. Both got 20 months suspended for two years with 250 hours unpaid work and Armstrong must pay £6,000 compensation at £500 a month.

Pub brawl over missing mobile phone

Three men who instigated a pub brawl after believing a phone had been stolen have been put behind bars.
Alan Jobson, 31, Jamie McGowan, 31, and Reece McDowell, 27, launched an attack in the Flying Horse pub in Blyth, Northumberland. The violence broke out after McGowan believed two men were involved in stealing his mobile phone.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the two males were attacked during the incident on July 25, 2021. One of the men was left unconscious after being punched and kicked in the face.
The court heard how CCTV also showed McGowan "stamping" on the victim's head during the attack.
Jobson, of Carlton Street, Blyth, and McGowan, of Elsdon Close, Blyth, were were both sentenced for two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. McDowell, of Beaumont Street, Blyth, was sentenced for one count of the same charge.
All three defendants were also sentenced for further offences relating to separate incidents.
Judge Stephen Earl handed them all prison sentences.
He sentenced Jobson to four years and two months behind bars. He also disqualified him from driving for five years and two months and ordered him to pay a £190 surcharge.
The judge jailed McDowell for two years and 10 months and ordered him to pay a surcharge of £156.
McGowan was locked up for two years and six months and ordered to pay a £190 surcharge.(Image: Northumbria Police)

Thug left bar worker unconscious and needing stitches

A drunk reveller left a bar steward unconscious and needing stitches to his face after he launched an unprovoked attack outside some toilets.
Niall Hannon repeatedly punched the victim, including while he lay injured on the floor, at Newcastle's Irish Centre. A court heard that the steward had confronted the 27-year-old and another man outside the gents as he thought they were acting suspiciously and asked them to move.
However, as the pair walked away, Hannon saw red and lashed out at the unsuspecting victim. Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told that he rained down blows on the man, including while he lay unconscious on the ground.
Hannon, of Elgin, Doxford Park, Sunderland, left the scene but realised the next day what he had done and went to a police station to confess, his solicitor said. The thug, who has previous convictions for violence in his native Ireland, has now narrowly avoided a stint behind bars after he pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The court heard that the attack, which happened on January 27 this year, left the victim needing medical attention at hospital and stitches. He was also referred to a facial team and had to take a course of antibiotics.
He was given a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months,(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

One punch attacker left milkman paralysed

A one punch attacker left a milkman paralysed after punching him outside a Tyneside pub.
The victim had been out with his son to the races on December 18 2021 and returned home to Whickham, Gateshead before going to a pub known as The Dirty Habit, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Trouble flared after the man was accused of making an "inappropriate comment" to Lewis Henderson's sister in the bar.
The atmosphere changed and the victim left and headed outside, where his wife was waiting to pick him up. The young woman ran after him and struck him and Henderson pulled her away.
The victim, who had got into the car, got out and walked towards them. Henderson then ran towards him and the man grabbed his arm and Henderson responded by punching him in the head, which he claimed was intended as a pre-emptive strike.
A witness said Henderson punched him twice and the victim lost his balance and fell backwards and hit his head on a metal bollard on the road. He was left semi-conscious and bleeding profusely from his head.
He suffered a spinal cord injury from a fractured vertebrae which left him paralysed and doubly incontinent. He was in hospital for seven months and now relies on carers and needs a hoist to get him into his wheelchair.
Doctors say he is unlikely to make a full recovery and will remain dependent on others. The court heard he has lost his business as a milkman which he had for 30 years and he has only been out of bed twice since his discharge from hospital. His house has had to be adapted and the lives of his family have been "turned upside down", the court heard.
Henderson, 26, of Hood Square, Winlaton, Gateshead, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to inflicting GBH. He was jailed for 12 months.(Image: Northumbria Police)

Thug hit man over head with glass when confronted for grabbing his crotch

A boorish bar thug smacked a man over the head with a glass when confronted about grabbing his crotch.
The victim had been out in Revolución de Cuba, in Newcastle city centre and at one point he squeezed past Cameron Moore, who he didn't know and who was standing next to a DJ booth. Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court Moore was friendly and after they exchanged a few words, he pecked him on the lips and moved away.
The victim thought he was just being over-friendly at that point but when he went to the toilet later on, he saw Moore speaking to a group of males. Mr Ahmad said: "As he passed him he grabbed his crotch over his jeans with his hand.
"The victim felt uncomfortable and used a cubicle rather than a urinal. He told the group of men he had just grabbed his crotch and they said 'yeah he's a bit weird'."
The victim later saw Moore again and went to challenge him about what had taken place in the toilets. Mr Ahmad said: "Confused about what had happened earlier, he confronted him and asked why he grabbed his crotch.
"The defendant said 'if you don't leave in three seconds I will smack you'. He counted down from three and squared up to the victim, who pushed him back.
"The defendant then struck him on the top of his head with a glass." He suffered a wound to his head and was left bleeding. He needed five staples to close the wound.
He said in a victim impact statement that he felt uncomfortable as a result of what happened and found it strange. He said having to attend hospital for his injury and it has affected his studying. He has now made a full recovery.
Moore pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, possessing cocaine and common assault - which prosecutors accepted as an alternative to the original charge of sexual assault, which was not proceeded with.
The 26-year-old, of Solway Street, Silloth, Cumbria, who was convicted of assaulting a PC, criminal damage and a public order offence in 2017, was sentenced to 12 months suspended for 18 months with 150 hours unpaid work. He must also pay £600 compensation and £400 costs.(Image: Northumbria Police)