POLICE who were sent to break up a fight outside a Carlisle bar found one man unconscious in a car park and another standing nearby without his shirt on.

At Carlisle Crown Court, CCTV footage from the entrance to Rouge Bar off Botchergate, showed that it was the man who was knocked out – 22-year-old Jacob Evans – who had started the violence.

He did this by punching 32-year-old Aaron Sewell, the man without a shirt. Both men admitted a public order offence, while Sewell also pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer.

Prosecutor Daniel Bramhall said the incident happened at around 2am on July 30, with police arriving to find the unconscious Evans in the car park while his co-defendant, minus his top, was standing nearby with facial injuries.

The CCTV footage from the club foyer showed Sewell - at that time still wearing his shirt -  saying something to Evans, who reacted by throwing punches at the older man.

The fight that resulted spilled out on to the street as bystanders attempted to intervene. But both men continued to punch each other. When arrested, Sewell became agitated, said Mr Bramhall. The CCTV footage recorded his reaction.

He can be heard telling the officers: “I’m the victim; I’ve just been assaulted. I’ve done nothing wrong.” He maintained that he should not have been arrested.

As the officers dealt with him, he lunged towards them, making it necessary for them to restrain him, the court heard. During the struggle that followed, one officer received grazes and bruises to his arms, said Mr Bramhall.

The court heard that Sewell, of South Street, Carlisle, had 18 offences on his record, with previous public order offences that include an affray. Evans has five offences on his record, including a wounding offence for which he was jailed for six months.

Jack Troupe, defending, said Sewell wanted to apologise to the police officer, accepting he was simply doing his job. A probation officer who interviewed the defendant spoke of a progressive nerve disorder he suffers from.

On the night in question, he had bumped into Evans, with whom he had a long-running feud. He had also been drinking. “He regrets getting involved,” added the officer.

Anthony Parkinson, for Evans, of Bedford Road, Hull, said the defendant was due to get married in mid-October and had now relocated to another part of the country, where he was living with the family of his future wife. He aimed to make a fresh start.

Judge Richard Archer gave each man a three-month jail term, suspended for a year. Evans must observe a curfew for the three months, lasting daily from 8pm to 5am. Sewell’s sentence includes 15 rehabilitation activity days.