THREE thugs smashed up a kebab shop and fought its staff in the street in a late night brawl.

Between them, Jordan Lawrence Ellerby, 22, Rocky Matthew Dunne, 33, and Paul Brown, 36, and two unidentified men, threw chairs, tables and bottles in a fight that began in the Pizza Kebab House, York, moved to an area behind it and then through the shop into Hull Road outside, said Ian Howard, prosecuting.

Members of staff called police and armed themselves with a chair leg and a knife during the brawl which left the restaurant with extensive damage including a smashed front window, York Crown Court heard.

The violence began when the three defendants and their friends started to drink beer inside the takeaway despite being told by staff beforehand that they couldn’t because it wasn’t licensed for alcohol consumption.

They called the staff names, told them to “go back to Turkey” and the fight broke out. All three defendants had been drinking.

“It was an appalling incident of violence both in the street and in these premises,” the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Batty QC told the trio.

All three admitted affray on November 27, 2016.

Ellerby, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years. He also admitted separate offences of breaching a restraint order and carrying a Stanley knife in public.

Building labourer Dunne, of Neville Street, York, and vehicle dealer Brown, of Rose Tree Grove, New Earswick, were both given 18-month prison sentences suspended for two years on condition they did 150 hours’ unpaid work and observe a nightly 10-hour curfew for five months. Both must also pay £750 prosecution costs.

For Ellerby, Victoria Smith-Swain said he had already spent five months on remand and was remorseful for his actions. He believed the alcohol had impaired his judgement on the night of the affray.

For the other two, Neal Kutte said of the affray: “Unfortunately things developed.”

Dunne had suffered a cut to his head. Both his clients were in work, had not been involved in violence since and had responsibilities in their private life.

Mr Howard said a taxi driver saw men hitting each other with weapons during the street part of the incident and called police.

Two staff at the restaurant were charged with carrying a knife in public in relation to the incident. Both denied the charge and their cases were thrown out by the judge before reaching a jury.