Gang of masked men jailed for violent attack on man outside a pub

A gang of masked thugs who brandished metal bars and a machete at a Newcastle pub as part of a revenge attack have been jailed.

The men will spend a total of more than 17 years behind bars after they were convicted of planning an attack on a 30-year-old man.

The incident took place on December 8, 2016, outside the Fosse Pub in Walker. A court was told how members of the masked gang sprayed him in the face with ammonia, pulled him to the ground and began to attack him with metal bars and a large knife.

The attack only came to an end when people inside the pub heard the commotion and came outside to chase the gang away. The group then smashed the windows of the pub before clambering into a white Vauxhall Vivaro van and fleeing the scene.

The victim was rushed to hospital with a number of serious injuries including a fractured skull caused by a blow to the head with an axe. A 51-year-old woman was also treated for minor burns to the face after being sprayed with ammonia during the altercation.

• Watch: Northumbria Police released CCTV of the men at the scene

Following the case, Detective Sergeant Nick McKenna, said it highlighted that police can secure convictions against violent thugs even when victims don’t support a prosecution.

Ferry, 28, of Wimslow Close, Wallsend, and Bailey, 31, of Pearson Place, North Shields, were both jailed for three years and nine months.

Mole, 34, of Burnham Grove, Walker, and Johnson 35, of Front Street, Chirton, North Shields, were both jailed for three years and six months.

Carlson, 21, of Chirton Lane, North Shields, was jailed for two years and nine months for his part in the attack.

Trevor Harrison, 33, of Deanham Gardens, Fenham, will be sentenced at a later date.