Fighting youth ‘lost control’
TWO teenagers who got in to a fight outside McDonalds in the early hours of the morning have appeared in court together.
Lewis Ather, 19, and his 18-year-old friend Jaime Hone were in the dock at Eastbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning of last week (May 9).
The court heard that the pair, who both have part-time jobs at Eastbourne’s Halfords store, had been out in the town centre on February 19 and became involved in a fracas outside McDonalds at around 2.15am.
Both men pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour to provoke unlawful violence.
Ather, of Ratton Road, was walking past the fast food restaurant on his way to the taxi rank at Eastbourne Railway Station when a stranger, who had previously been thrown out of a nightclub, threw a punch at him.
The court heard Ather retaliated and then Hone, of Kings Avenue, joined in.
The pair were kneeing and hitting the man. Other men were also said to be involved.
In a police interview Ather said the first swings were in self-defence but he admitted he lost control afterwards, although didn’t intend to cause the man any harm.
Hone said he had seen his friend being attacked for no reason and ‘saw red’.
Christos Christou, defending, said the offence was instigated by the man who was causing trouble and getting aggressive with people outside McDonalds.
Mr Christou described Ather and Hone as being in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’.
Mr Christou said, “These are young men at the start of their careers who got involved in a silly and unfortunate incident which was started by someone else.”
He also explained that neither of the men had been in trouble with the police before before adding, “A criminal record will be punishment enough.” Magistrates gave both men a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered them to pay £85 each in court costs.
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Saturday 25 May 2013
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