Overview
- Footage played at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court showed chairs and bottles brandished, punches thrown, people hauled to the floor, and a Christmas tree toppled.
- The disorder erupted at about 10pm on December 31, 2023, inside The Green Star in Smallthorne.
- All seven defendants had admitted affray at earlier hearings, allowing the court to focus on their roles during sentencing.
- Benjamin Ellis, 39, was jailed for four years for the affray and two unrelated offences, with the judge labeling him the catalyst after he threw glasses, wielded a chair, and repeatedly charged at a man.
- Niall Ward, 22, Thomas Ward, 38, and Shaun Tilstone, 35, received six-month prison terms, while Lauren Sargeant, 39, Kayleigh Kirkland, 33, and Lucy Keeling, 33, received suspended sentences.