Carlisle pub-clash football fans face jail

Violence broke out between the fans of rival teams in Gallagher's Irish Bar

Three football fans have been warned they could be jailed after a pub fight with supporters of a rival team.

Weapons were brandished and objects thrown when the followers of Hibernian and Celtic clashed at Gallagher's Irish Bar in Carlisle in October 2021.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Sean McNulty, Steven Rintoul and Andrew Whitson admitted affray and will be sentenced in November.

Six Celtic fans had already pleaded guilty to the same charge.

The court heard violence broke out in the pub in the Botchergate area of the city shortly before 15:00 GMT on 23 October.

McNulty, 43, of Edinburgh, Rintoul, 48, from Uphall, near Livingston, and Whitson, 39 and of Longniddry, near Edinburgh, had previously denied affray and were due to stand trial this week.

The trio was granted unconditional bail and will be sentenced along with the six Celtic fans on 17 November.

The hearing is estimated to last one day and is likely to include CCTV footage which captured the disturbance.

Recorder Philip Grundy told Mr McNulty, Mr Rintoul and Mr Whitson: "Please don't have any illusions that the [sentencing] starting point is a non-custodial sentence. It is the opposite."