A MAN suffered a serious head injury and fractured jaw after being recruited by a friend to become involved in late night fights in Bradshawgate.

Corey Meiring was punched in the face during a brawl and ended up needing surgery to reduce pressure from bleeds on his brain, spending a month in hospital following the disturbance on June 30.

At Bolton Crown Court Mr Meiring’s pal, Jose Gomes, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Layth Alkalifa, who had been fighting with Gomes and attacked Mr Meiring, was jailed for two years and mour months after admitting causing grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

Mikha Kouri, who had initially acted as a peacemaker but then joined in the violence, punching Mr Meiring, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years. He has been electronically tagged and made subject to a 9pm to 8am curfew for four months and must participate in 25 days of rehabilitation activities.

Adrian Farrow, prosecuting told how there had been previous altercations between Gomes and Alkalifa and at just before 6am, Gomes, driving a silver Ford Focus, stopped in the middle of Bradshawgate and confronted his rival.

Gomes, aged 22, of Frederick Court, Farnworth, drove off and returned to the scene three times, continuing the fighting with Alkalifa and, on the last occasion, bringing Mr Meiring with him.

The court heard that Mr Meiring got into a fight with 18-year-old Alkalifa and 23-year-old Kouri, who had initially tried to stop the violence, also joined in attacking Mr Meiring.

The Bolton News:

Joe Boyd, defending Alkalifa, of no fixed address, told how the teenager has the right to remain in the UK until 2023. An Iraqi national, he and his mother were asylum seekers after fleeing Syria when his brother was killed by a bomb.

Rachel Faux, defending Gomes, of Frederick Court, Farnworth, said he is ashamed of his behaviour.

“He is devastated by the injuries to one of his friends and that he should be connected to the incident in the way that he is,” she said.

The Bolton News:

Simeon Evans, defending Kouri, of Iris Avenue, Kearsley, said he had come to the UK from Sudan via refugee camp in Egypt after his father was taken away and presumed to have been killed. He stressed that Kouri had repeatedly acted as a peacemaker in the incident.

He said: “The only moment when he moves away from that role, foolishly, and assaults Mt Meiring, is within seconds of a period when Mr Meiring was assaulting Mr Alkalifa.”

Sentencing the three defendants, Judge Graeme Smith said both Alkalifa and Gomes were responsible for the protracted incident when both could have walked away.

“It’s quite clear that both of them were aggressive, although its correct that Mr Gomes threw the first punch,” he said.