A GANG of bouncers injured three people in a fast food restaurant on a drunken night out in York.

Mark Hill, 36, Jay Garvey, 26, Danny Smith, 25, and Alec Owens, 34, were all involved in an unprovoked brawl which saw customers put in headlocks, one thrown out of a door into the road, and one had fingers gouged into his eye sockets, at McDonald’s in Blake Street.

The incident lasted about 15 minutes, and was caught on CCTV in the early hours of December 12, 2016, and started when Hill, of Spalding Avenue, Clifton, launched an unprovoked attack on a fellow customer at the restaurant’s counter and the group rushed to his side.

CCTV from several cameras showed Hill and the others grappling with customers in restraint holds, including headlocks as other horrified customers looked on. One customer who questioned the group’s behaviour was punched and headbutted. Another victim was thrown into the road by Garvey, while another was being restrained by Hill and Owens, when Owens gouged his fingers into his eye sockets.

Victims suffered a number of minor injuries, including cuts and bruises, but one suffered nerve damage to his lips, and the court heard it was unclear how long this would last.

The court heard Owens told one of the victims: “If you make one false move it will be the last thing you do. I’ve got hold of your neck, I could snap it if I want.”

Judge Andrew Stubbs QC disputed claims that the defendants were drawn into a brawl against their will or in defence of their friends, after watching CCTV at length in the courtroom.

He said: “Four drunken bouncers on their Christmas night out hell bent on arrogance and violent behaviour were taking on all-comers, that’s what I saw.”

The court heard all four had been drinking, and had since had their door-workers licenses revoked.

In mitigation, Graham Parkin told the court heard Hill had been “in a difficult period in his life” at the time, and had since found work in the food industry but faced losing a lucrative promotion if he were jailed.

For Garvey, Laura Addy told the court her client had been concerned for Hill’s safety when the brawl started, but accepted he had acted inappropriately.

Geoffrey Cross told the court Owens’ doorman training kicked in when he saw the scuffle, but “he accepts he took sides”, and it “was not trouble of his own making”.

Judge Stubbs said: “If he’d used his skills, he would have ejected Mark Hill, who was the main antagonist, but he took Mark Hill’s side and ended up gouging someone’s eyes.”

Thomas Laffey, for Smith, said his client was now working as a kitchen fitter and “accepted without hesitation he was one of four men who acted entirely inappropriately on that night”.

The court was also shown CCTV footage of an attack by Hill on a man in The Drawing Board, which took place in the early hours of June 6, 2016, after a customer expressed his displeasure at Hill forcing his way through a crowd at the bar to buy a round of drinks.

Hill threatened the man, then launched punches and kicks at him, knocking him to the ground, before he was restrained and broke free to try and continue the attack. His victim was left with a broken cheekbone and required seven stitches to his eyebrow.

Hill admitted affray, ABH and common assault in McDonald’s, for which he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, and also admitted section 20 wounding for the Drawing Room attack, for which he was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Both sentences were to be served consecutively.

Owens admitted common assault and was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work, made subject to a three-month curfew between midnight and 7am, ordered to pay £500 compensation and £200 prosecution costs.

Smith, who admitted assault, was given a 12-month community order, ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, made subject to a curfew between 10pm and 7am, ordered to pay £500 compensation and £500 prosecution costs.

Garvey admitted assault, and was given a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay £150 compensation and made subject to a three-month

curfew between 10pm and 7am.