A MOTHER of 12 and her huge family are on the run from police after “one of the worst street fights ever seen”.
Ellen Sweeney, 39, Thomas Sweeney, 43, Thomas Sweeney junior, 18, and at least four other family members are said to have fled to the Republic of Ireland after a major brawl in Birmingham.
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Ellen Sweeney, Thomas Sweeney Sr and Thomas Sweeney Jnr at Birmingham Crown Court Credit: BPM Media
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The fight started after family members left Glamorous Nightclub, the court heardCredit: BPM
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Glamorous is a popular LGBT+ venue and is open most nights until 6am. Credits: BPM
Family members failed to appear in court twice in connection with the disturbance in the early hours of July 15 last year.
After their second no-show in two weeks on Tuesday, the judge branded them “cowards” as he sentenced the absentees, who have all previously pleaded guilty to charges of violent disorder.
Last year, the Sweeneys, David Mongan, 18, and at least four other relatives were involved in a drunken attack outside the Glamorous nightclub in the Gay Village district.
One victim suffered a laceration to the chest after being cut with a glass bottle, while another who suffered blows to the head has since had seizures.
The other was repeatedly punched and stomped on the ground until he passed out.
Despite the three attackers escaping before sentencing, Mongan, of Frederick Road, Stechford, was jailed for three years.
Appearing at Birmingham Crown Court, Mongan admitted violent disorder and three separate shoplifting offences.
During sentencing, Judge Dean Kershaw said: “You are all cowards, complete and utter cowards, engaging in violence against people when they are drunk and drunk.
“Using that mob culture to attack people in that way, this is one of the worst violent disorders in this city with multiple people being assaulted, assaulted, kicked in the body and in the head.”
The court heard prosecutor Alura Bather explained how the violence broke out after Thomas Sr got into a verbal altercation with another person.
Bather said a verbal argument on Hurst Street then turned “physically aggressive”.
Although Senior claimed he was racially abused, no additional evidence was presented to support these claims.
Other evidence was presented, including Thomas Jr.’s CCTV. and Mongan chasing a man through the Gay Village.
The latter then proceeded to knock him to the floor and it was counted that he punched the victim 21 times and kicked him 14 times.
He could even be seen punching another member of the public who tried to stop the violence.
Thomas Sr. then managed to join in as Ellen Sweeney seemingly tried to protect the man from her own family before being dragged away.
The prosecutor went on to explain how Ellen Sweeney then got into a verbal altercation with another woman whom Ellen hit and called a “w***e”.
The violent scenes were reinforced by the woman’s friend, who was hit in the chest by one of the defendant’s family members with a glass.
While another man who appeared to be sitting on a large concrete block and was not involved in the fight was also knocked to the floor.
Thomas Jr then lunged at the taxi driver, while Ellen Sweeney could be seen punching someone else further.
Continuing the pursuit, the family did not give up despite the victims trying to flee on foot and failing to stop the garbage truck driver.
The chase continued with Mongan punching and kicking one of the women until the victim fell to the floor.
The police arrested some of the people involved as soon as they arrived at the scene.
After arguing that Thomas Jr should get married, members of the Sweeney family were released on bail at an earlier hearing at an address in Croydon, London.
The Metropolitan Police blamed new staff and bail books that were not regularly checked as reasons for their absence and a bail breach until August 21 that went unnoticed.
While earlier inquiries were made to an address in Croydon, police attended again at 2am on the day of sentencing to find the lights still on and the property completely empty.
The court was then told that Ellen Sweeney was the main point of contact for the family and had even telephoned her lawyers the previous day to suggest she had got the court date wrong and taken the family to Scotland.
Alarm bells were raised only after an investigation into Ellen Sweeney’s phone revealed a location in the Republic of Ireland.
Judge Kershaw said: “It’s all nonsense. She’s in Ireland, calling on the 29th and saying she thought (the trial) was tomorrow.
“What will she do to swim across the Channel? This is just a trick. I warned them.”
He then added that Interpol and the Irish authorities would be involved.
Meanwhile, Mongan was remanded in custody and has since been jailed for three years and four months for shoplifting goods worth more than £8,500 which he carried out with others.
Mongan’s defense lawyer, Philip Brunt, described him as “immature” and “drunk” during the violent street attack.
Thomas Jr was sentenced to two years and four months in custody, with Morgan Pirone mitigating that his actions were out of character.
After his defense attorney, Jordan Warren, made claims that Thomas Sr. had suffered a “significant amount of trauma,” the father was given two years and ten months.
Mother-of-12 Ellen Sweeney got a year and 11 months after her defense lawyer, Jas Dhaliwal, suggested she was “extremely embarrassed”.
Judge Kershaw considered offering Ellen a suspended sentence but feared she would not comply with a community sentence after she failed to appear in court.
The Metropolitan Police received a comment regarding a breach of bail conditions which went unnoticed until 21 August.
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