Four men jailed following altercation in Crewe

Four men have been jailed for a combined total of almost seven years following a serious altercation in Crewe.

The four men appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 2 May where they were sentenced for their involvement in a fight which broke out in the street in August 2023.

• Christopher Rawlings, 45, of Willow Crescent, Wistaston, was sentenced to 21 months after previously pleading guilty to violent disorder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
• Nigel Dunn, 45, of Fanshawe Walk, Crewe, was sentenced to 20 months after previously pleading guilty to violent disorder.
• Richard Wharton, 44, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 18 months after previously pleading guilty to affray.
• Nathan Thomas, 36, of Wingate Road, Worsley, was sentenced to two years after previously being found guilty of violent disorder.

The case began when Rawlings and Dunn were on Davenport Avenue in Crewe at around 6.30pm on Sunday 13 August 2023.

The two men came together with Thomas and Wharton and a fight broke out within the group.

CCTV showed the men all assaulting each other with weapons before the group separated and made off on foot in different directions.

Two knives and a metal bar were located at the scene of the incident.

Rawlings suffered a deep laceration to the front and back of his head, requiring multiple stitches, and a puncture wound to his arm. He was placed in a medically induced coma in hospital as a result of his injuries.

Dunn sustained a fractured collar bone and a fractured elbow and was located by officers as he received treatment from paramedics.

Wharton and Thomas were later identified from CCTV footage which was reviewed by an officer.

All four men were later charged in relation to the incident.

Following the sentencing, DC Graham Lee said:

“Not only did this incident cause very serious injuries to one of the men involved, but it also occurred in broad daylight in a street with members of the public present.

“This behaviour could easily have ended up hurting innocent people in the vicinity that evening and it is a miracle that no other serious injuries were caused.

“I hope the conclusion of this case will reassure the local community, as well as anyone who may have witnessed this traumatic event unfold.”