An ugly ruckus in a Ripon pub ended with two brothers needing hospital treatment for head injuries after one of the victims was glassed and the other was knocked unconscious.

Three men are now facing jail sentences for the drink-fuelled violence at The White Horse on North Street, which was akin to a Wild West brawl.

Brandon Hyde, 23, Joshua McKittrick, 24, and Ethan Anderson, 25, appeared at York Crown Court today (October 31) after they each admitted violent disorder and McKittrick admitted assaulting one of the brothers, causing actual bodily harm.

The court was shown harrowing video footage of the chaotic scenes both inside and outside The White Horse where violence suddenly erupted in the bar area after words were exchanged between the victims and their attackers.

In scenes of utter mayhem and raised voices, one of the brothers, who served in the Royal Navy, was punched to the floor during the melee, before being struck with a glass bottle by Hyde.

Prosecutor Jennifer Gatland said the two brothers had been out drinking with two other men in Ripon and went into The White Horse at about 11pm.

They were inside the toilets when two of the attackers walked in and said they wanted to fight one of the brothers.

The other brother said they didn’t want a fight and they walked out of the toilets with the intention of leaving the pub to avoid trouble but were followed into the bar by the two men where words were exchanged and a group of males surrounded them.

One of the brothers lunged at Hyde, leading to a mass brawl involving at least five men.

Hyde then punched one of the victims to the floor, then hit the victim’s brother over the head with a glass bottle he had picked up from the bar.

“At this point, several of the men, including Joshua McKittrick, are punching (the brother who had just been hit with the glass bottle),” said Ms Gatland.

The trouble spilled out onto the street where Anderson and others followed the victims down the street.

Suddenly, McKittrick appeared “from stage left” and struck one of the brothers with a haymaker which knocked him straight to the ground, unconscious, as people came out of the pub to witness the horror unfolding in the street.

After McKittrick delivered the powerful blow, someone was heard to shout: “One-punch knock-out!”

The victim, whose face was covered in blood, eventually regained consciousness and was taken to Harrogate District Hospital’s emergency department where he was treated for injuries including facial bruising.

His brother also needed hospital treatment for multiple injuries including a bruised eye socket, swelling behind his ear, bruising to the bridge of his nose, clotted blood in his right nostril, a split lip and grazing to his arm.

Permanent scar

Ms Gatland said the victim’s heartbeat was “abnormally fast”.

The brother who was hit with the glass bottle said the attack had affected his mental and physical health profoundly.

His injuries left him with visible scars, including a permanent scar on his nose. One of his teeth was permanently fragmented and he had to see a chiropractor for ongoing “pain and discomfort”.

His confidence was now shot and he “dreaded” going into public settings.

He said his injuries had dashed his hopes of promotion in the Royal Navy which affected his pay and put his career back six months following a “military downgrading”.

His brother, who was knocked unconscious by a single blow from McKittrick, said the attack had “destroyed my sense of safety and life as I knew it”.

He had suffered flashbacks and he now avoided social situations “entirely”.

“Anxiety, anger and fear now dominate my life,” he added.

“The attack has stolen my confidence and peace of mind. I know I will never be the same again.”

'Terrified' he may have killed

Ms Gatland said that Anderson – formerly of Leeming Lane, Boroughbridge, but now living in Skipton – had previous convictions including six for public-disorder matters, several assaults including against a police officer, three robberies, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray and possessing an offensive weapon.

Hyde, of Manor Close, Melmerby, had six previous convictions for 10 offences, mainly drug-related matters. He was currently subject to a community order for supplying Class B drugs.

McKittrick, of St Olave’s Close, Ripon, had one previous conviction for a driving matter.

Christopher Morton, for Anderson, said his client had punched one of the brothers inside the bar and threw punches at the same man when the fight spilled out into the street as the victim retreated down the road.

John Bottomely, for Hyde, said his client had grabbed the glass bottle as he fell backwards after being lunged at by one of the victims.

Nicholas Leadbeater, for McKittrick, said that, according to his client, there were “some verbals (sic) going towards him” before he delivered the knock-out blow in the street.

He said that McKittrick later walked back to the scene because he was “terrified” that he may have killed the man.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, said:

He said the seriousness of the offences meant that only immediate jail sentences could be justified.

He adjourned sentence to November 13 and remanded each of the defendants in custody until then.