Five more jailed for huge Daresbury Park Hotel wedding brawl

Armed officers descended on Daresbury Park Hotel in the summer of 2019 after a celebration turned into a ‘bloodbath’ on the dance floor.

Three people were jailed over the large disturbance on Monday, with the court hearing that more than £18,000 worth of damage was caused.

They have been joined by a further five members of their family as the next batch of wedding guests appeared before Chester Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday.

Thomas Stokes, Edward William Stokes and Thomas Stokes were jailed for a combined 73 months earlier this week, with Edward Stokes being handed a suspended sentence.

The courts have now handed an imprisonment of 93 months to John Christopher Stokes, Stephen Stokes, Brian Stokes, John Steven Stokes and Edward Joseph Stokes.

Police at Daresbury park Hotel the day after the incident

All five pleaded guilty to violent disorder, albeit at different stages in court proceedings, while all had no previous convictions at the time except John Steven.

Two remaining co-defendants, Michael Stokes and Robert Reilly, will be sentenced next month, with the former having contracted Covid-19 and the latter having personal issues to sort beforehand.

Prosecutor Robert Philpotts explained how the incident relates to a huge brawl which erupted between up to 50 guests at a wedding reception at Daresbury Park Hotel on June 26, 2019.

By around 11pm, the reception was in full swing, with 150 people expected in the Alice Suite function room on the first floor.

At 11.15pm, a barman saw three men arguing as he left to collect items from the main bar, and when he returned, a huge fight between some 40 men had started.

Stephen Stokes

CCTV footage played in court showed glasses and chairs and glass being hurled across the room, as well as displays being torn down and a sweet cart and tables being overturned.

Police were called after a night porter saw what was happening on CCTV, but the first dispatch of officers withdrew on arrival after taking the view they were unable to deal with the situation alone.

It took a unit of armed back-up officers specially equipped and trained to restore order. A dozen ‘blood-stained’ men were arrested and most gave no comment police interviews.

Around 30 police cars were spotted rushing to the area, according to eyewitnesses, while Warrington Hospital even declared a major incident, with senior management called in during the night to assist.

Ultimately, only three patients were taken to hospital after suffering minor injuries.

Edward Joseph Stokes

Speaking after the incident, one hotel guest said: “It was all kicking off – there were police everywhere, it was really bad.

“I could see it all happening out of my window. There was a massive police presence and it was all cordoned off.

“There is blood all over the floor in the corridor.”

Britannia Hotels, which runs the Daresbury Park Hotel, declined to comment on the matter in the aftermath of the incident. The hotel has since closed to the public in order to house asylum seekers.

From CCTV footage, John Christopher is seen hurling at least seven chairs across the room, turning to objects on a nearby table after running out of furniture to launch.

Brian Stokes

He also pulled down a display, threw a metal bin in the reception area, and was seen carrying a fire extinguisher and a coat rack, as well as pointing and shouting at other people before being handcuffed by police.

John Steven meanwhile is filmed walking around without a shirt and carrying a pole. At one point he receives an injury to his head, leading him to take off his vest, wrap it around his head to stop the bleeding and continue bare-chested.

Edward Joseph is seen taking glass from a table and throwing it, as well as tearing pictures from walls, causing glass frames to smash.

Cameras capture him carrying a fire extinguisher in each hand, and he was holding a pole when he was arrested by police.

In addition, Brian appears to throw a chair and is spotted picking up a pole while wearing a blood-stained vest with no shirt, as well as being seen carrying a fire extinguisher.

John Christopher Stokes

Also filmed is Stephen, who can be seen in possession of a metal bin, a pole and a chair at different times in the chaos.

The prosecution described the whole incident as 'mayhem', while judge Simon Berkson remarked how some people in the footage were innocent bystanders, including members of hotel staff and wedding planners – even children and the elderly.

The court heard how more than £16,000 worth of ‘extensive’ damage was caused to the hotel, as well as damage valued in excess of £2,400 to items belonging to wedding planners, who said they were ‘scared for their safety’.

In a statement, the hotel manager said the incident was the worst he had seen in his career, with too much damage to mention and blood and glass covering the dancefloor and walls.

In addition to the damage, which the court heard had been paid for by the Stokes family, £300 of alcohol was stolen as glass was taken for weapons.

John Steven Stokes

An impact statement from the wedding arranger meanwhile revealed how nine years of stock, which was her livelihood, was destroyed, impacting other weddings planning to hire the items.

Andrew Jebb, defending Brian, aged 25 and of Bradfield Road, Crewe, referenced his client’s low risk of reconviction, young son and lack of danger to the public.

Meanwhile Andrew Green, defending Edward Joseph, aged 21 and of Kettell Avenue, Crewe, spoke of how he was a teenager at the time and displayed a lack of maturity.

Of John Steven, aged 27 and of Ruskin Road, Crewe, Stephen McNally said the defendant was ‘appalled and embarrassed’ by his conduct, with the family man and dad-of-two being remorseful.

Phil Clemo, defended both Stephen, aged 25 and of Hume Street in Fairfield, and John Christopher, aged 23 and of Roseville Park, Antrim.

Edward William Stokes, Terry Stokes and Thomas Stokes were jailed on Monday

For the former, the barrister said the father-of two is a carer for dependant relative and is ‘genuinely remorseful’, and that the latter, who is a ‘a decent and hard-working family man normally’ was embarrassed and ashamed of his actions.

Before sentencing, judge Berkson said: “The events of that day were truly shocking to anyone who saw them. For those present and innocent, one can only imagine the fear.

“What should have been a happy occasion, a wedding, turned into a bloodbath.

“The suite was set up for a celebration, with a DJ playing music, people dancing and enjoying themselves. This came to an end when violence broke out.”

He described how there were punches thrown by the bar as guests cowered, and as violence spilled into the corridors, men armed themselves with furniture, metal poles and fire extinguishers.

Chester Crown Court

“All of you participated in an incident with widespread violence. It was persistent and sustained, causing serious disruption and a substantial effect on businesses. It ruined the day of the newlywed couple.

“In my judgement, the nature and extent of the event means punishment can only be achieved through immediate imprisonment.

“The public would be rightly aghast if they saw what I have seen and an immediate custodial sentence was not passed.”

John Christopher was sentenced to 16 months in prison, while Stephen was jailed for 20 months and Brian for 18 months.

John Steven was handed an imprisonment of 21 months, with Edward Joseph locked up for 18 months.

Following the hearing, DC Sophie Davies said: “The disorder caused by these men in 30 minutes led to the function room, the items that were borrowed from a company as part of the wedding party and other areas of the hotel being completely destroyed.

“The level of violence involved meant the officers who first attended to the hotel were unable to access the function room to bring the other guests, who were understandably shaken by what was happening, to safety due to having items thrown directly at them.

“The full extent of what happened was captured on CCTV footage from inside the hotel enabling us to see the full scale of the violence from start to finish and showed how much these men were intent on causing harm to each other as well as to others.”

Cheshire Police refused a request to release CCTV footage showing the scale of the disorder.