Carlisle pub brawl: Football fans jailed over 'ugly' clash

Violence broke out around the pub's pool table with cues brandished and balls used as missiles

Rival football fans used pool cues, balls and chairs as weapons in an "ugly" pub brawl.

Six Celtic supporters and three Hibernian fans clashed at Gallagher's Irish Bar in Carlisle in October 2021.

The city's crown court heard the pub corridor was littered with broken glass and other debris following the violent exchange between the rival factions.

Seven fans were jailed for between seven-and-a-half months and 13 months, with two given suspended sentences.

Banning orders preventing all nine from watching their respective teams and attending all UK stadiums were also imposed, and the men must surrender their passports when the Scottish national team plays abroad.

The fight broke out at about 15:00 BST on Saturday 23 October, 2021 in front of shocked customers including a man in his 70s and a young child.

The female publican watched the disorder unfold on CCTV while her partner, who retreated behind the bar, recalled the Celtic group cheering, hugging and chanting, as if they were "celebrating a goal".

Judge Michael Fanning told the nine men, who had all pleaded guilty to affray at earlier hearings, that it had been "an unpleasant, ugly incident".

Lawyers for the men spoke of their individual remorse, and outlined the impact on their families and employment.

Fighting spread to the pub hallway, with punches being thrown

Andrew Whitson, 39, of Winston Place, Galashiels, and Sean McNulty, 44, of Glenure Loan, Edinburgh, were jailed for 13 months.

Steven Rintoul, 49, of East Main Street, Upall, West Lothian, was sentenced to 11 months in prison.

Kieran Ewing, of Woodside Road, Raploch, and Michael Morton, 28, of Oak Street, both Stirling, were jailed for nine months.

Owen Hughes (formerly Ewing), 32, of Cecil Street, and William Gerry, 31, of Laurencecroft Road, also in Stirling, were each jailed for seven and a half months.

Andrew Currie, 26, of Brownsdale Road, Rutherglen, and 30-year-old James Manley, of Royston Road, Glasgow, both had four-and-a-half month prison terms suspended and must complete 120 hours of unpaid work.