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Barber suffers fractured skull during 16-man turf war brawl

Telor IwanBBC News
News imageGoogle A scene from Blackwood High Street showing the frontage of Marmaris Barbers and, two doors down, the Absolutely Fabulous hairdressing salon where staff were frightened the brawl would spill over into the salon.Google
Marmaris Barbers on Blackwood's High Street, scene of a mass brawl involving staff from rival barber shops

Shoppers were left "frantic and scared" when a brawl involving up to 16 men from rival barber shops broke out on a high street, a court has heard.

A posse from Kurd Barbers in Newbridge, Caerphilly "travelled mob-handed" to the neighbouring town of Blackwood to confront staff from rivals Marmaris Barbers, a jury at Newport Crown Court was told.

The feud began when one of three defendants in the trial, Omed Pirot, who suffered a fractured skull during the brawl, announced his intention to open a rival shop in Newbridge, barrister Nuhu Gobir, prosecuting, said.

All three men deny a charge of affray.

Scissors

The intention to set up a rival barber shop in Newbridge,"was not received well by the Newbridge faction", Gobir said, and four car loads of men drove the three miles (4.8km) to Blackwood at around 14.30 GMT on 13 February last year.

The two "factions" are then said to have met up on the street where a "large-scale fight" took place.

One person required hospital treatment for serious injuries and several had cuts and bruises and one man had a puncture wound in his back.

The court was told that up to 16 men took part in the fighting, with several pairs of scissors later recovered by police on the street.

Off-duty detective sergeant Kelly Whistance had just had her hair washed in the Absolutely Fabulous salon on Blackwood High Street, a short distance from Marmaris Barbers, and was sitting at the front.

Whistance saw "about 10" men involved in a scuffle while the manager of the salon was "frantic and scared" that the men were going to enter the salon, as they were pushed against the window, the prosecution said.

Several calls were made to police but despite looking through CCTV and mobile phone footage only eight men could be identified.

Five men were arrested in Blackwood and three men were later arrested at Kurd Barbers in Newbridge.

The court heard how three men had "visible injuries" while another had a one-inch puncture wound to his back.

The three men on trial are all associated with Marmaris Barbers in Blackwood.

Sardam Ebrahimi, 25, Shabab Husseini 26, and Omed Pirot all deny a charge of affray, and the trial continues.