Nottingham duo threw punches in Mansfield centre brawl

Mohammed Karimi and Hallo Omar were caught on CCTV camera on Leeming Street, at 4am, on Saturday, September 9, after their friend had his shirt ripped from him by a group of men, in an alley near Wilkos.

Mark Oates, mitigating, said the pair “were both heavily under the influence of alcohol” when they saw “one the males in that group.”

“The first punch is by Mr Omar,” he said. “He punches a man who was walking towards him. Mr Karimi accepts that he too used some violence in the course of that exchange.”

After walking away, their friend returned to the scene and punched a bystander who, Mr Oates said, was “in the wrong place, at the wrong time.”

When he did this, Omar and Karimi pulled the man away, and a struggle ensued before they were arrested.

Mr Oates said: “They realised it was getting out of hand. They went to quite a lot of trouble to prevent him from doing any more.

“It looks bad because it is bad. But equally there is no kicking or group violence in the sense of two on one.”

Karimi, 18, of Maples Street, Nottingham, and Omar, 20, of Noel Street, Nottingham, admitted using threatening or abusive words, when they appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Monday.

The court heard Omar had a previous conviction for robberies in 2015, for which he was given a two year sentence in a youth detention centre. Both were also cautioned for cannabis possession on the night.

Omar was given a three week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, with 20 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.

Karimi was given a one year community order, with 100 hours of unpaid work. They must each pay £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.