Kebab shop families jailed after 'disgraceful' street fight

Savas Sayak, Mazhar Aksoy and Burak Aksoy were among those who pleaded guilty to violent disorder in Newport city centre

Family members from two kebab shops - who slashed each other in a violent street fight - have been jailed.

The attackers, aged between 17 and 52, all of Turkish background, fought with kebab shop tools, metal poles and a walking stick in Commercial Road, Newport, in August.

Newport Crown Court heard each family owned a kebab shop in the city, and was shown CCTV footage of the brutal brawl which left them with gash and slash wounds.

Sentencing the seven men, Judge Richard Kember said the incident was "a disgraceful outbreak of violence and disorder".

Mehmet Aksoy, 52, Mazhar Aksoy 40, Murat Aksoy, 28, Burak Aksoy, 25, Savas Sayak, 34, Yagmur Sayak, 43, Firat Sayak, 45, previously admitted violent disorder in September.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of his age, will be sentenced at youth court.

All the defendants were aided in court by an interpreter.

Some of the defendants in the dock, and some of their family members in the public gallery started to cry while they were being sentenced.

The Aksoy family own Family Kebab on Caerleon Road and the Sayak family own Antalya Kebab on Commercial Road, where the violence took place.

Firat Sayak, Murat Aksoy, Mehmet Aksoy and Yagmur Sayak also pleaded guilty to violent disorder in Newport city centre

Footage played in court showed the fight began when Firat Sayak struck Mehmet Aksoy outside the kebab shop.

The pair then scuffled against a car before falling to the ground.

Mehmet Aksoy then made a phone call, the court heard, which the prosecution said caused other members of his family to arrive, including Murat Aksoy who arrived leaning out of the passenger window of a grey Mercedes car, brandishing a metal pole.

This caused Firat Sayak to "respond in kind" and brandish his own weapon through the kebab shop window.

Footage played to the court then showed members of both families attacking each other, including with weapons outside the kebab shop.

These weapons ranged from a "metal instrument" used in the kebab shop, to a metal pole and a walking stick.

At the end of the fight, some family members removed their shirts to use as "makeshift bandages" and some of the relatives had blood on them, the court heard.

Police arrived shortly after the fight ended and found Savas Sayak "with a severe head wound" and Yagmar Sayak with "multiple injuries to his head".

Mehmet and Mazhar Aksoy were found in hospital with "gashes or slashes" to their arms.

The violence happened in a busy area of Newport with members of the public present.

Mehmet Aksoy, Murat Aksoy, Mazhar Aksoy, Savas Sayak, and Fırat Sayak were each sentenced to 24 months in prison.

Burak Aksoy was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 21 months - and was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Yagmur Sayak was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 21 months - and was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Violence had 'no justification'

In mitigation the court was told both families have now reconciled after intervention from the Turkish and Kurdish community in Wales and the Kurdish People's Democratic Assembly.

Judge Kember said it was not a dispute about "rivalries between kebab houses", adding it came about because of "some form of dispute" between wider family members in Turkey.

He added: "There is no justification at all for the kind of violence and disorderly scenes that occurred that afternoon."