Man injured women in 'mindless' brother pub brawl

Two brothers injured multiple people in a "mindless" pub brawl, which included a knuckle-duster and pool cue, a court has heard.

Jordan and Scott Reilly, 30 and 24, had been drinking in the Victoria Pub in Whitley Bay on the last day before it closed before "indiscriminately" attacking staff and others, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

One woman suffered a broken leg and another a severe concussion in the melee, while the pair also ganged up with their friend Kyle Peters to rain blows on the pub's manager.

All three men admitted affray with Jordan Reilly, who also pleaded guilty to two counts of unintentional wounding, jailed for two years, and his fellow attackers getting suspended sentences.

The Reilly brothers and Peters, 25, had spent the afternoon of 17 April 2024 playing pool and drinking in the Victoria, where a large number of staff had gathered to mark the pub's last day, prosecutor John Hobley said.

At about 20:00 BST, the three men were standing outside when Jordan Reilly, formerly of Whitley Bay and now living in Montrose, punched a man while wearing a knuckle-duster, the court heard.

Both brothers then attacked a woman who ran out to intervene and began "indiscriminately" punching and kicking anyone in the area in a five-minute long brawl, Mr Hobley said.

The Reillys and Peters ganged up at one point on the pub's manager, hitting him as he was held in a headlock, while Jordan Reilly also wrestled a pool cue from a man standing in the doorway and used it to hit multiple people, the court heard.

Jordan Reilly punched one woman in the jaw, knocking her to the ground and snapping her leg in the fall, and hit another in the face while still wearing his knuckle-duster, the court heard.

The first woman's broken leg needed two metal rods, a plate and 17 screws to fix and she had to live downstairs for six months, the court heard.

In a statement read to the court, she said she was "stunned and outraged" and had been left in "excruciating pain".

The second woman suffered a "severe concussion" which caused temporary vision loss and permanent facial scarring.

In her victim impact statement, she said had been "traumatised".

In mitigation, the court heard the Reillys had been out to mark the anniversary of the death of a relative and Jordan Reilly started attacking people out of fear a man he had had issues with was coming to the pub to find him, that fear being the same reason he carried a knuckle-duster.

Judge Richard Stubbs said all three men were involved in "mindless violence" and assaulted various people for "no apparent reason".

He also said Jordan Reilly's fear of being attacked did not explain why he hit "defenceless women" with the knuckle-duster.

Scott Reilly, of Farleigh Court in North Shields, was also sentenced for a police pursuit at about 03:00 on 25 October 2024 in the Wrekenton area of Gateshead.

Police reached speeds of 113mph in a 30mph residential area as they tried to keep up with Scott Reilly's Audi A3, with him being arrested after a short chase on foot, the court heard.

He was disqualified from driving at the time and was found to have cannabis in his system, the court heard.

Scott Reilly was jailed for 21 months suspended for 18 months with 200 hours unpaid work.

He was also banned from driving for two years and must pass an extended test.

Peters, of The Esplanade, Whitley Bay, who had been at a funeral before the attack and also tried to stop the brothers attacking other people in the brawl, was jailed for six months suspended for a year with 150 hours unpaid work.

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