"Like a pack of animals": Pensioner, 70, among four spared jail after 'disgraceful' brawl
24.06.2022 - 08:57
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Four people, including a 70-year-old woman, have been spared jail after a "disgusting" display of violence "like a pack of animals" when a night of drinking descended into a brawl on a public path - with one defendant even being given time off her curfew to take a trip to Spain with her five-year-old daughter.
Margaret Docherty, 70, of Tweedale Street, and 42-year-old Lindsey Pollard, of Partington Street, were both at a party with 31-year-old Umar Ashiq, of Nicholson Street, to celebrate a neighbour's 40th birthday, drinking outside one of the flats on the Freehold estate in Rochdale on the night of September 12, 2020.
As the group partied, 25-year-old Akib Iqbal, of Halifax Road, headed towards one of the flats with Madasar Iqbal, who shared the home with his partner who had previously been in a relationship with Ashiq, and Madasar's partner. As the trio walked past the gathering, Madasar's partner made a comment to the group about Ashiq's wife, which sparked a "disgusting" display of violence that five people have now been sentenced for.
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A hearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday morning, June 23, heard that everyone involved had been drinking that night before the incident, which started to build just before 11.10pm. After both members of the Iqbal family returned to the flat, Docherty decided to confront Madasar's partner for her words, going up to the front door of their flat. After exchanging words, Docherty then punched Madasar with such force he fell backwards into his flat, and Docherty returned to the party.
Prosecutor Roger Brown told the court that this launched a much larger incident, after