Two Milton Keynes men jailed for their part in violent wedding party punch up

Eight men, including two from Milton Keynes, have been sentenced following a violent fight that occurred during a wedding party.

The men, aged between 21 and 55, threw tables, chairs and glasses at The Daresbury Hotel, Runcorn.

They were among between 50 and 60 other guests invited to the wedding party on June 26, 2019.

The fighting began in the function room bar at around 11.15pm and continued until midnight spilling out into different areas of the hotel.

At one point several men armed themselves with various items such as coat stands and fire extinguishers then made their way back to the main room to continue causing the disorder.

At approximately 11.35pm five officers were led towards the Alice bar where the fighting was taking place.

As they entered the corridor towards room glasses started to be thrown in their direction.

For their safety they returned downstairs to the reception area and requested further back up with officers, including those armed with taser, to help assist with the level of disorder.

When they arrived several of the men inside the Alice bar and part of the wedding party were still fighting with other guests, throwing items and waving curtain poles at one another.

The fighting continued while police were there and didn’t stop until the men had been detained. The men were taken into custody covered in blood and had injuries to their face and body.

After being interviewed the men were released on conditional bail while enquiries continued until they were charged and pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Four of the defendants appeared at Chester Crown court on Monday, November 14, for sentencing:

> Edward William Stokes, of St Giles Street, New Bradwell, Milton Keynes, 28, was sentenced to 27 months' imprisonment.

> Terry Stokes, of Princess Street, Winsford, 36, was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment.

> Thomas Stokes, of Glazier Drive, Neath Hill, Milton Keynes, 40, was sentenced to 25 months' imprisonment.

> Edward Stokes, of Kettle Avenue, Crewe, 50, was given a 16-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months and 100 hours unpaid work.

On Wednesday 16 November, a further five were sentenced:

> John Stokes, 23, of Roseville Park, Antrim, was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment.

> John Steven Stokes, 27, of Ruskin Road, Crewe was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment.

> Stephen Stokes, 25 of Hume Street, Fairfield and Howley, was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment.

> Brian Stokes, 25, of Bradfield Road, Crewe, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.

> Edward Joseph Stokes, 21, of Kettell Avenue, Crewe, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.

Detective Constable Sophie Davies said: “The disorder caused by these men in 30 minutes led to the function room, the items that were borrowed from a company as part of the wedding party and other areas of the hotel being completely destroyed at a cost of almost £15,000.

“The level of violence involved meant the officers who first attended to the hotel were unable to access the function room to bring the other guests, who were understandably shaken by what was happening, to safety due to having items thrown directly at them.”