Five men have been handed banning orders excluding them from bars and pubs in Solihull town centre.
The orders were handed down after the five men pleaded guilty to a violent disorder that took place at the Walkabout bar in Solihull in 2018.
On the 1 December 2018, Dylan Williams, 25, Drew Taylor, 23, James Johnson, 21, Kyle Witts, 20 and Ryan Grealish , 20, were involved in a violent disorder in Walkabout that left staff and members of the public terrified.
Top row left to right: Witts, Williams and Johnson
Bottom row left to right: Taylor and Grealish
The group had become abusive to other people on the dance floor which attracted attention from security staff. When the group were told to leave, they became abusive and violent.
Once they were outside, security attempted to secure the doors to the bar in an attempt to prevent them from getting back in, but the violence continued.
CCTV captured the group repeatedly running and kicking at the door, in an attempt to gain entry and distressing all those inside the bar.
Eventually the group left the area, but the police investigation quickly identified the group from CCTV and were questioned over the disorder. They were later arrested and charged.
At an earlier hearing the group pleaded guilty and, on 5 June, Ryan Grealish , of Vauxhall Crescent, Solihull, Drew Taylor, of Chester Road, Solihull, and Kyle Witts, of Barlands Croft, Shard End, were sentenced to 18 months custodial sentences suspended for two years. There was also a requirement to complete unpaid community work.
On 3 July, James Johnson, of Pheasant Croft, Solihull, and Dylan Williams, of Vauxhall Crescent, Smith’s Wood, were sentenced to 24 and 21 months respectively, both suspended for two years. Both are also subject to overnight curfews for the next two months.
All five also received a drinking exclusion order banning them from bars and clubs in Solihull town centre for 18 months. Local police will be working with these establishments to ensure these people are not allowed to drink in the town centre.
Inspector Dave Amos from Solihull Police, said: “The drinking exclusion ban is a first for Solihull town centre and shows that behaviour committed by the group that night will not be tolerated.
“If any of these men are seen in the town centre at any of the bars or pubs listed, they will have breached the drinking exclusion order and could end up serving the remainder of their sentence time in custody.
“This was a lengthy and thorough investigation that shows our commitment to keeping Solihull safe.”
- A spokesperson for Walkabout said: “Customer and staff safety is a key priority within our venue and we work in partnership with the police and Solihull town centre to ensure anybody who breaks the law and causes disruption is brought to justice.”