Post-football match brawl saw 'group of 20' in 'shorts, jean

Post-football match brawl saw 'group of 20' in 'shorts, jeans and hoods' target city pub

By Liz Day (Court Reporter)


27/09/18

Smashed bottles, broken plastic and spilled beer covered the street outside a pub following a fight between football fans after a match, a court heard.

Cardiff City supporters Nathan Pleace and Vincent Richards, along with Aston Villa supporters Mark Baker, Gary Tucker and Brett Clarke all deny violent disorder and are on trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

On Wednesday Jemma Healey, assistant manager of The Cornwall, said she saw a group of men approaching the pub looking "riled up".

The court heard the incident occurred at the pub on the junction between Cornwall Street and Hereford Street in the Grangetown area of Cardiff on the evening of August 12 last year.

Giving evidence, Ms Healey said the pub was "busy" and they started serving drinks in plastic cups, instead of glasses, two hours before kick-off at 3pm.

She said she the pub had CCTV, which she could not see from the bar, but was able to view from the office.

Asked if anything on the footage caught her attention, she replied: “A group of lads walking towards the pub."

Ms Healey described seeing about 20 men she had never seen before approaching the pub from Hereford Street, dressed in shorts and jeans, some with hoods up.

She told the court they were running and waving their arms around.

Asked if she had any concerns when she saw that on the CCTV, she replied: “It didn’t look great, no. I thought there might be an altercation or something.”

She said she went into the foyer and saw a "big guy" with a couple of other men standing by the door. She described seeing more men come around the corner.

The witness added: "I didn’t hear words, just shouts. They seemed a bit riled up."

Ms Healey said she told them: "Get the f*** out of the pub." There was laughter from the dock as she said it.

She said she tried to shut and bolt the door, with help from other customers, then felt the door being punched from outside.

The witness told the court she went back into the bar to check on the customers and saw the "big guy" inside, looking "scary".

Asked how she was feeling at that stage, she replied: "I was worried they were inside now."


She said there was "pushing and shoving" and she again told the men to leave.

Questioned about what she saw, she said: "From the corner of my eye, it looked like punches were being thrown."

Ms Healey said she went outside after the men left the bar and saw them getting on to a minibus, which was parked on the corner.

She watched the minibus drive away.

Describing the aftermath, she said: "There were smashed plastics, smashed bottles of beer, spilled."

She added: "There was an old guy who was injured. He had a cut to the back of his head, a bloodshot eye and a cut to his face.

"There was a younger guy with injuries. He had a cut to his head as well."

She said the police arrived and she closed the pub early, at around 9pm, having been standing in for her boss and on duty with another female staff member.

Asked how she felt, she replied: "Obviously upset and a bit shaken and angry."

Cardiff City supporters Pleace, 30, of Andrew’s Road in Llandaff North, Cardiff, and Richards, 32, of Leckwith Road in Llandough, deny violent disorder.

Villa supporters Baker, 47, of Ashburton Road in Birmingham; Tucker, 51, of Holly Lane in Birmingham, and Clarke, 40, of Winchester Drive in Solihull, also deny the charge.




The trial continues.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

“From the corner of my eye “

What was she looking at then? Two old men playing dominoes in the corner?

Priceless

“From the corner of my eye “

What was she looking at then? Two old men playing dominoes in the corner?

Priceless

AV4 - you'll defend villa fans / players to the death, won't you?

“From the corner of my eye “

What was she looking at then? Two old men playing dominoes in the corner?

Priceless

AV4 - you'll defend villa fans / players to the death, won't you?

I will defend Grealish. Anybody who kicks off at football knows the risks involved and can’t really be defended.

However, I do find some of the comments amusing. Does anyone believe this woman only caught sight of a brawl taking place inside her pub out of the corner of her eye? It’s a ridiculous statement and I wonder who it was who was responsible for both sets of fans having access to the pubs CCTV within days of the incident?

Also, how can kicking a bloke on the floor possibly be deemed self defence? And people have the cheek to call Villa the cowards.

Likewise running out of the pub and launching bottles.

Half of you lot come across as a right bunch of cry babies.

“From the corner of my eye “

What was she looking at then? Two old men playing dominoes in the corner?

Priceless

AV4 - you'll defend villa fans / players to the death, won't you?

I will defend Grealish. Anybody who kicks off at football knows the risks involved and can’t really be defended.

However, I do find some of the comments amusing. Does anyone believe this woman only caught sight of a brawl taking place inside her pub out of the corner of her eye? It’s a ridiculous statement and I wonder who it was who was responsible for both sets of fans having access to the pubs CCTV within days of the incident?

Also, how can kicking a bloke on the floor possibly be deemed self defence? And people have the cheek to call Villa the cowards.

Likewise running out of the pub and launching bottles.

Half of you lot come across as a right bunch of cry babies.

I haven't commented on the incident because I wasn't there nor do I know anyone who was.
I'm just saying, You can't see anything wrong at your club at all

“From the corner of my eye “

What was she looking at then? Two old men playing dominoes in the corner?

Priceless

AV4 - you'll defend villa fans / players to the death, won't you?

I will defend Grealish. Anybody who kicks off at football knows the risks involved and can’t really be defended.

However, I do find some of the comments amusing. Does anyone believe this woman only caught sight of a brawl taking place inside her pub out of the corner of her eye? It’s a ridiculous statement and I wonder who it was who was responsible for both sets of fans having access to the pubs CCTV within days of the incident?

Also, how can kicking a bloke on the floor possibly be deemed self defence? And people have the cheek to call Villa the cowards.

Likewise running out of the pub and launching bottles.

Half of you lot come across as a right bunch of cry babies.

I haven't commented on the incident because I wasn't there nor do I know anyone who was.
I'm just saying, You can't see anything wrong at your club at all

Well unlike you, I know most of the Villa involved and I can tell you 100% that they don’t attack random pubs.

I have not once defended them. Not quite sure how that is not seeing anything wrong with my club? However,the crap written on here is sickening.

“From the corner of my eye “

What was she looking at then? Two old men playing dominoes in the corner?

Priceless

AV4 - you'll defend villa fans / players to the death, won't you?

I will defend Grealish. Anybody who kicks off at football knows the risks involved and can’t really be defended.

However, I do find some of the comments amusing. Does anyone believe this woman only caught sight of a brawl taking place inside her pub out of the corner of her eye? It’s a ridiculous statement and I wonder who it was who was responsible for both sets of fans having access to the pubs CCTV within days of the incident?

Also, how can kicking a bloke on the floor possibly be deemed self defence? And people have the cheek to call Villa the cowards.

Likewise running out of the pub and launching bottles.

Half of you lot come across as a right bunch of cry babies.

I haven't commented on the incident because I wasn't there nor do I know anyone who was.
I'm just saying, You can't see anything wrong at your club at all

Well unlike you, I know most of the Villa involved and I can tell you 100% that they don’t attack random pubs.

I have not once defended them. Not quite sure how that is not seeing anything wrong with my club? However,the crap written on here is sickening.

I get it, They were looking for a quiet pint.

That’s not what I was saying.

Besides, my original post was directed at the manageress and has nothing to do with the rights and wrongs with it all.