NINE men who took part in a mass brawl at Goodwood races have been jailed for a total of eight and a half years.

One man, who was a youth at the time of the incident, received a suspended prison sentence and one man was fined for his involvement.

At its height, more than 30 people were involved in widespread fighting that broke out in the public areas of the race course on May 5 last year.

Goodwood security staff were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers involved and Sussex Police were deployed to deal with the situation.

One security guard was knocked unconscious after being punched and kicked.

Clear footage showed how one man was kicked with force in the head as he lay unconscious on the ground.

Witnesses reported hearing football chanting and subsequent investigations by the police identified the two main groups involved had associations with Southampton or Portsmouth football clubs.

Eleven men pleaded guilty to their part in the fighting at Guildford Crown Court.

  • Jack Couper, 23, of Southampton, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for eight months
  • James Whitlock, 27, of Southampton, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for two years
  • Darius Wharton, 19, of Southampton, admitted violent disorder and was given a suspended six-month jail sentenced.
  • Jack McLoughlin, 24, of Southampton, admitted violent disorder and jailed for eight months
  • Kyle Binns, 27, of Southampton, admitted affray and was jailed for four months
  • Tyrone Sharp, 28, of Gosport, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for 20 months
  • Peris Dore, 28, of Gosport, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for eight months
  • David Salway, 29, of Gosport, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for 16 months
  • Michael Hand, 33, of Gosport, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for eight months
  • Michael Suffield, 30, of Gosport, admitted violent disorder and was jailed for eight months
  • Leslie Sharp, 50, of Gosport, admitted assault by beating, and was fined £500

Ryan Richter from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This must have been a terrifying experience for people at the racecourse that day and this could be seen on the footage recorded of the incident.

“Such yobbery cannot be tolerated among families trying to enjoy a pleasant day out and will be prosecuted where there is evidence to do so.“

“In building this case, we received a huge amount of help from all the racegoers who supplied their mobile phone footage of what happened to the police.

“This enabled us to put together such a strong case that all of the defendants in this case pleaded guilty when faced with the wealth of evidence against them.”