THREE middle-aged men were involved in street violence, in which all of them were injured and weapons were brandished, a court heard.

Zafar Iqbal started the trouble on Scaitcliffe Street, Accrington, but Araf Hussain and Iftikar Asghar finished it, Burnley Crown Court was told.

All three had weapons and the melee continued, despite the efforts of a ‘Good Samaritan’ passer-by who tried to stop it.

The hearing was told how the fracas began when the defendants got out of two cars. Iqbal was in his vehicle and Hussain and Asghar were in a Mercedes.

Iqbal stopped and got out with a crowbar. Hussain and Asghar were at the side of the road and Hussain, armed with a cricket bat, approached Iqbal.

The boot lid of the Mercedes was then opened, another weapon was brought out and the member of the public tried to stop the incident. Hussain and Asghar both had weapons by this stage. Asghar had got a snooker cue.

They went up to Iqbal and he was hit while he was on the ground. Police arrived to find him on his knees, struggling to breathe and injured. Officers recovered a snooker cue and crowbar at the scene.

Iqbal, 49, of College Court in the town had admitted possessing an offensive weapon and battery on Hussain and had been committed for sentence by magistrates. He was given six months in prison, suspended for two years, with a 16-week curfew, between 9pm and 6am.

Hussain, 43, of Stevenson Street East, also Accrington, was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for two years, with 12 months’ supervision.

He and Asghar pleaded guilty to affray. Asghar, 41, of George Street, Accrington, received a two-year community order with supervision.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said Hussain ended up with a finger injury and Asghar had bruises to his body.

Judge Jonathan Gibson said: “As one of your counsel put it, you are grown men who ought to have known better.”