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The drunken family beat one man unconscious, gashed a woman across the chest with a broken bottle, and kicked and punched multiple women lying prone on the ground.
A mother of 12 is on the run with her partner and 18-year-old son after allegedly violently attacking patrons leaving a popular gay bar and causing a massive brawl in the U.K., Birmingham Live reported.
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Ellen Sweeney, 39, her husband Thomas Sweeney Senior, 43, and their son Thomas Sweeney Junior failed to appear in court on Tuesday to be sentenced for inciting one of the worst brawls in Birmingham’s history. One defendant, David Mongan, 18, was present and sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
“You are all cowards, complete and utter cowards, engaging in violence against people when they were intoxicated and drunk,” Judge Dean Kershaw said in court on Tuesday. “Using that mob culture to attack people in that way.”
The attack and resulting brawl took place in the early morning hours outside the Glamorous nightclub in Birmingham’s Gay Village. The elder Thomas got into a “verbal disagreement” with an Asian male. The disagreement quickly turned violent, and CCTV footage showed the family joining in the assault, chasing the man down through the Gay Village before Mongan brought him to the ground and pummeled him with a reported 21 punches and 14 kicks. Other family members were seen on video joining in the assault on the prone and defenseless man. Thomas Junior was captured punching the first victim twice and kicking him 14 times as well. The elder Thomas soon arrived and continued the assault.
Ellen Sweeney initially tried to break up the fight but was pulled away and left sprawled on the ground by her own family. However, she quickly joined the fray, getting into a war of words with a female bystander. She reportedly called the woman a “whore” and punched her in the face.
The brawl escalated at this point. Ellen was seen throwing multiple punches. A friend of the woman was gashed across the chest with a broken bottle by a Sweeney relative. Thomas Junior assaulted a taxi driver who stopped and got out of his vehicle. A bystander was knocked to the ground from a nearby post where he was seated.
The female victims attempted to flee the scene but were hunted down and beaten. Mongan kicked and punched one of the women while she was prone and defenseless on the ground.
“This is one of the worst violent disorders in this city with multiple people being attacked, assaulted, kicked in the body, and kicked in the head,” Judge Kershaw said. “In various ways you all took part watching, engaging, encouraging others by acts or individual acts of violence. It was gratuitous at times.”
Family members admitted their guilt and expressed regret through their lawyers, but authorities say they have run from accepting responsibility for their actions.
Ellen and Thomas Senior and Junior checked in with police as required on August 13, but have not been seen since. Authorities first noticed their disappearance on August 21. They were supposed to be sentenced at the end of August, but have missed multiple court dates since their disappearance. Ellen reportedly claimed their lawyer provided the wrong court dates and that they are visiting family in Scotland. However, cell phone date reportedly places the family in Ireland.
Ellen was sentenced in absentia to one year and 11 months in jail. Thomas Senior was sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail. Thomas Junior was sentenced to two years and four months in a youth detention facility.
Kershaw indicated that Irish authorities and Interpol would be involved in the search for the fugitive Sweeney family.
