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Thugs banned from drinking in town centre after going on violent rampage

Five men have been banned from bars and pubs in a town centre after going on a violent rampage while on a night out.

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Top row left to right: Witts, Williams and Johnson; and bottom row left to right: Taylor and Grealish

The banning orders were handed out by West Midlands Police after the five men pleaded guilty to the ordeal which took place at the Walkabout bar in Solihull in December 2018.

Dylan Williams, age 25, Drew Taylor, 23, James Johnson, 21, Kyle Witts, 20 and Ryan Grealish, 20, were abusing other people on the dancefloor which attracted attention from security staff. When the group were told to leave, they became violent.

Once outside, security attempted to secure the doors to the bar to prevent them from getting back in, but the violence continued.

CCTV captured the group repeatedly running and kicking at the door in an attempt to get inside.

Eventually the group left but were identified from CCTV and were questioned by police. They were later arrested and charged.

At an earlier hearing the group pleaded guilty and in June Grealish, of Vauxhall Crescent, Solihull, Taylor, of Chester Road, Solihull, and Witts, of Barlands Croft, Shard End, were sentenced to 18 months behind bars suspended for two years. They must also complete unpaid community work.

Johnson, of Pheasant Croft, Solihull, and Williams, of Vauxhall Crescent, Smith’s Wood, were sentenced to 24 and 21 months respectively, both suspended for two years. Both are also subject to overnight curfews for the next two months.

All five have also been banned from bars and clubs in Solihull town centre for 18 months.

Inspector Dave Amos from Solihull Police, said: "The drinking exclusion ban is a first for Solihull town centre and shows that behaviour committed by the group that night will not be tolerated.

"If any of these men are seen in the town centre at any of the bars or pubs listed, they will have breached the drinking exclusion order and could end up serving the remainder of their sentence time in custody.

"This was a lengthy and thorough investigation that shows our commitment to keeping Solihull safe."

A spokesperson for Walkabout said: "Customer and staff safety is a key priority within our venue and we work in partnership with the police and Solihull town centre to ensure anybody who breaks the law and causes disruption is brought to justice."

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