Racing post
Heavy message sent:
The 11 men who were charged after a mass brawl at Goodwood last year have been handed jail sentences totalling more than nine years after the final hearings were completed on Tuesday.
In addition, the convicted men will be indefinitely excluded from all British racecourses following the shocking events at the Sussex course in May last year.
In one of the worst examples of public disorder on a racecourse, around 50 people were involved in multiple altercations. Some of the appalling violence was captured on video and went viral on social media.
Sussex Police made a dozen arrests in relation to the brawl, with 11 people charged. While nine of the defendants pleaded guilty to violent disorder at an earlier hearing, Lesley Sharp, 50, pleaded guilty to assault by beating and Kyle Binns, 27, pleaded guilty to affray on Tuesday at Guildford Crown Court.
James Whitlock, 27, received the most severe sentence of 24 months' imprisonment.
Nine of the 11 men received prison terms, although their sentences will be reduced as they have already served time under a tagged curfew order.
One of the men, Darius Wharton, 19, was handed a suspended sentence, while Sharp was given the option of paying a fine or spending time in prison and has been ordered to pay compensation to his victim.
The eruption of violence at Goodwood is rare on racecourses and the track's managing director Adam Waterworth was pleased that justice had been served on those involved.
He said: "We are delighted that the evidence we provided has helped secure an appropriately serious sentence for the perpetrators of this incident. We take a zero-tolerance stance on anti-social behaviour here at Goodwood and, to support this, we installed an extensive CCTV network across the course a few years ago, which helped us provide clear footage to Sussex Police of the incident.
"This sends out a strong message to the public – anti-social behaviour is not welcome at Goodwood, and we will continue to be vigilant so racegoers can enjoy the best possible experience when they come racing with us."
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