A TOP judge has blasted Barnsley's excess drinking culture and hit out at the mindless alcohol-fuelled violence blighting Britain's towns and cities.
Judge Michael Murphy QC said licensees were plying revellers with "drink after drink after drink" before throwing them out onto the streets where decent, law abiding people were becoming embroiled in mindless acts of violence.
He spoke out after f
ive "responsible members of society" - including two mothers and a university graduate - were given suspended jail terms for their parts in a booze-fuelled Boxing Day brawl in Barnsley town centre.
The court heard a fight broke out between two groups in Peel Street, Barnsley, on December 26 last year, after David Boyle made a derogatory comment which led to an argument and descended into violence.
But the revellers, who had been drinking alcopops and spirits, were so drunk that none of them could remember what was said. CCTV footage played to the court showed mum-of-four Elizabeth Maughan attacking her cousin Gemma Taylor and punching her repeatedly.
At the same time James Masson, brothers David and Jeffrey Boyle, and Maughan's sister Jessie Price were involved in another "melee".
Judge Murphy said: "This was a furious piece of drunk, profound, illogical and mindless violence and it is not confined to Barnsley.
"Every town in the country seems to have this real problem of people who go out, drink to excess, and commit offences of mindless disorder and violence which, in the cold light of day, they regret."
He told the perpetrators: "Usually the people I deal with are well convicted but, in your cases, you otherwise have virtually blameless lives."
Judge Murphy added: "I've said time and time again people who encourage this sort of behaviour are those that keep their pubs open late into the night, serving people drink after drink after drink, knowing it's not going to be their problem because there are great big chaps on the door who will push them out into the centre of Barnsley."
Price, aged 34, of Smithies Lane caravan site, Honeywell, Barnsley, was jailed for four months and ordered to do 120 hours' unpaid work for affray.
Maughan, 33, of Smithies Lane, Honeywell, was jailed for eight months for affray and assault.
David Boyle, 29, of Rochdale, Lancashire, was given a six month sentence and ordered to do 120 hours' unpaid work for affray.
Geoffrey Boyle, 28, of Rochdale, was given four months and 100 hours' unpaid work for affray.
And Masson, 30, of Ayreshire in Scotland, was jailed for six months and ordered to do 100 hours' unpaid work.
All the jail sentences were suspended for two years.
The full article contains 445 words and appears in Sheffield Star Barnsley newspaper.
