A father and his two sons hurled pint glasses and gouged the eyes of mourners following a funeral service, leaving a lorry driver with permanent scarring and needing nine stitches to a severe facial injury.
Liam Redmond snr, Liam Redmond jnr and Luke Redmond admitted affray and were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after the wake at Prenton Golf Club on 17 October 2024 descended into a violent brawl.
Violent brawl at Prenton Golf Club
The court heard the Redmonds, all of Holm Lane in Prenton, Wirral, were present at the wake after a funeral. While their connection to the deceased remains unclear, witnesses thought they were inappropriately dressed.
Prosecutor Henry Riding said the wake was scheduled to finish at 7pm, with manager Kate Verdin-Walsh announcing last orders shortly before 6.45pm. Although she remembered the atmosphere was good, staff alerted her to shouting in the bar area.
Ms Verdin-Walsh found 12 to 15 people in a circle, acting as a buffer between two males arguing. Liam Redmond snr was among those involved, shouting at another man who tried to back away.
Attack leaves lasting injuries
After being calmed down, the 61-year-old and his sons were escorted from the premises. However, the father then dragged another man to the ground near the exit, triggering a large-scale fight.
The brawl started when Redmond snr's daughter tried to follow her father and brothers out, but a man put his arm around her back to keep her in the room. One of the sons threw a pint glass that struck Ms Verdin-Walsh on the head, causing a lump and hospital treatment.
Witness Ronald Hancox saw Redmond snr pressing his thumb inside another man's eye. Carl Hancox also witnessed the father striking a man called Billy before forcing his thumbs into his eyes. When Carl tried to help, all three defendants turned on him, punching and kicking him to the head.
William Donaldson, the uncle of the man initially brought to the ground, ran into the fight to protect his nephew. He saw a glass thrown but ended up on the floor, being struck multiple times by one of the younger males, who attempted to gouge out his eyes.
Mr Donaldson suffered a split nose, which he believed was caused by a glass bottle. He attended hospital the next day and had the wound closed with nine stitches. The HGV driver also had to take a fortnight off work due to glass fragments in his eye.
In a statement read to the court, he said: "I don't really go out much any more so that I don't have to explain it to people. I no longer pop down to the pub. I get nervous about strange places and people. I was always easy going and could chat to anyone. I always enjoyed a laugh and socialising, but not any more."
Sentencing
Liam Redmond snr has 16 previous convictions for 24 offences, dating back to 1978, including nine months for attempted wounding in 1990. He had previously received a 12-month community order in May 2022 for affray relating to a fight at a wake in a hotel in 2021.
His defence barrister Lloyd Morgan said his client suffers from emphysema and receives Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment. The report recommended a rehabilitation activity requirement and an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.
Both Liam Redmond jnr, 25, and Luke Redmond, 23, have no previous convictions. Nick Cockrell, representing Liam Redmond jnr, said the incident was isolated and committed while in drink. Luke Redmond's barrister Cheryl Mottram said her client was very remorseful.
All three admitted affray on the day they were due to stand trial. Liam Redmond snr received a nine-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 10 days and a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement. Liam Redmond jnr and Luke Redmond were each handed 12-month community orders with 15-day rehabilitation activity requirements and 80 hours of unpaid work.
All three were ordered to pay £250 each in compensation to Mr Donaldson. Passing sentence, Judge Garrett Byrne said: "This was, on any view, an entirely disgraceful event. All three of you should be ashamed of yourselves. What was supposed to be a solemn and respectful event descended into something akin to a bar room brawl."
He noted that Redmond snr's prior conviction bore a striking similarity, as it also involved a wake and intoxication. He accepted that none had reoffended since and that they showed genuine remorse.
