‘Street violence’ sees six in court
A METAL bar was used in an organised fight between hospitality industry workers in Ann’s Place, St Peter Port, the prosecution said at the start of a Royal Court trial yesterday.
Six men have been charged with affray and all bar one have denied the charges.
One of them also denied assault charges for allegedly striking two people with the half-metre long metal bar.
Crown Advocate Gary Perry said this was a fight between two groups in the small hours of the morning.
‘Both groups clearly disliked one another and neither took action to avoid this confrontation,’ he said in opening the case.
‘This was organised street violence, possibly with racial undertones... Both groups wanted this confrontation. Both made sure that it happened.’
Among the defendants are hospitality staff originally from Poland, France and Italy.
Four of the defendants were working at Octopus at the time of the incident.
Owain Turner, 38, whose address was not read, Mateusz Wierbicki, 25, of Porto Bello, 6, Mill Street, St Peter Port, and Julian Fressy, 24, of Flat Petit Bistro, 56, Lower Pollet, St Peter Port, formed one of the groups and all denied using or threatening unlawful violence.
Alexis Paul Bruno Le Bray, whose address was not read, was also in this group and had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.
The other group was made up of Bruno Scafuro, 19, of Bottom Flat, 15, George Street, St Peter Port, and Antonio Delucia, 21, of the same address, who denied the affray charge. Mr Scafuro also denied assaulting Mr Turner and Mr Le Bray.
Another man was shown to be involved on the CCTV, but has left the island.
The Octopus group had been drinking in Folies and in police interview said there had been an argument with the other group.
Members of the other group said the Octopus group had been insulting them in the nightclub, but they had gone home.
They came back into town for a takeaway and ran into the Octopus group again in Ann’s Place, by the motorcycle par.
CCTV footage showed the group moving in and out of the Sunken Garden, calling to one another.
Mr Scafuro was shown coming out of the Sunken Garden with the metal pole, with tape around one end.
He told police he had found it in the garden and had only picked it up to even the odds in the fight.
The group then got into a fight involving punching and kicking, and it is alleged that Mr Scafaru used the pole to hit Mr Turner and Mr Le Bray.
At the end of the fight Mr Scafuro and Mr Delucia, as well as the other man, escaped towards St James.
The trial is continuing this week and next.
