Five Ipswich teenagers sentenced after brawl outside Old Cattle Market

Five teenagers have been sentenced after a fight involving weapons in Ipswich town centre earlier this year.

Between 7pm and 7.20pm on June 22, police were notified of a group of young men fighting outside the Old Cattle Market – with reports suggesting they were in possession of wooden sticks or bats.

Officer attended the scene, and shortly after, five teenagers, all from Ipswich, were arrested – two of whom were 17 at the time of the incident.

They were taken to Martlesham Police investigation centre and charged with a number of offences.

The two 17-year-olds appeared before Suffolk Magistrates' Court in Ipswich on June 24.

The three 18-year-olds also appeared before magistrates on the same date.

Yesterday, the five teenagers were in the dock at Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to all charges at a previous hearing.

Claudio Da Costa, 18 of Primrose Hill and Daniel Guedes, 18 of Broomwade Close, admitted to violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Laurynas Talacka, 18 of Chevallier Street, pleaded guilty to violent disorder, possession of an offensive weapon and breach of a criminal behaviour order.

The three will spend 24 months behind bars at a young offender institute.

Meanwhile, Alfie Pollard, 18 of Honeysuckle Gardens, admitted to violent disorder, as well as possession of an offensive weapon and possession of a controlled Class B drug, namely cannabis, and was handed a 21-month sentence by the judge.

Andrius Budzius, 17 of Magdalene Close, admitted violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Budzius was given an 18-month detention and training order, which will see him serve a nine-month custodial sentence and spend a further nine months under supervision.

Despite being 17, the court lifted restrictions on naming him.

In addition to the sentences, the five were also given community behaviour orders, banning them from the town centre and Maple Gardens.

Budzius and Pollard’s will be in place for three years, while it will last for five years for the others.

After the sentencing, Andy Martin from Suffolk Police said the case was another example of the force’s zero tolerance towards violent crime.

He added: “We continue to see reductions in this crime type in comparison to last year.

“Alongside the hard work of our partners and the integral support and vigilance of our communities, officers continue to patrol the streets and to investigate criminality and we will wherever possible look to prosecute those who attempt to bring their crime and anti-social behaviour onto our streets.”

In addition, Detective Constable Jack Evans said: “We took this investigation very seriously and I’m pleased that the hard work of the staff and officers involved has resulted in those responsible being brought justice for their dangerous actions.

“We would like to thank those members of the public that aided the investigation for their support.”