Cafe owner jailed after East Lancashire nightclub attack

The town's crown court heard how Sufiyan Mohammed, 29, had launched a determined assault on barman Jordan Greenwood in the early hours of last October 11.

Just over an hour later, he set about Graham Slater, punching the victim and smashing his jaw as he came down the stairs in Lava and Ignite nightclub.

Three weeks after that, Mohammed started an assault on Liam McCarthy outside Posh nightclub, knocking him to the ground.

The defendant's friends, Nelson newsagent Kamran Arshad, 29 and Sheraz Aslam, 32, then joined in the violence and put the boot in.

Father-of-two Mohammed, who is from the Nelson area, but currently lives in Chingford in London, owns a cafe in Norway the court heard.

He admitted grievous bodily harm and two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm.

He has an "extensive" criminal record, including several convictions for robbery when he was a teenager.

Judge Beverley Lunt told him immediate prison was inevitable for such acts of unprovoked violence.

Arshad, a father-of-three, of Chapelhouse Road, and Aslam, of Moorland View, both Nelson, both admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.

They were each given 26 weeks in jail, suspended for a year, with 180 hours unpaid work. Aslam had no previous convictions.

Mark Lamberty, prosecuting, said teh worst injuries happened to Mr Slater was also attacked for no reason.

He was struck in the face, went to the ground and his next recollection was being attended to in the toilets. He suffered a fracture to the ride side of his jaw and other facial injuries.

For Mohammed, Keith Hadrill said his life had been going well until last October, when because of matrimonial disharmony he gravitated back to his home town and met up with friends.

The barrister said: "He bitterly regrets the events of October 11."

For Arshad, Katherine Pierpoint said he acted out of a misguided sense of loyalty. Philip Holden, defending Aslam, said he had not been in trouble since.