Bristol man tried to stop city brawl

Bristol man Lukasz Makowski has been cleared of violent disorder after telling a jury he was not involved when his friend had a fight in the street.

Mr Makowski told Bristol Crown Court that when he and seven Polish friends came into the city centre for a drink, a man said something about Poles and his friend Robert scuffled with him.

He said he tried to break it up and denied joining the melee.

The jury was told six Polish men carried out indiscriminate attacks on two men as they went on the rampage through Bristol city centre in June last year.

It was claimed the group first rounded on a married couple near St James Barton roundabout, where they kicked and punched Adrian Heavens to the ground, before walking away 'triumphantly' and beating up an unidentified Somali victim nearby.

Five men admitted violent disorder but Mr Makowski, 27, of Marlborough Street, Eastville, denied the charge.

A jury took just over two hours to return a not guilty verdict on him.

Mr Makowski said he first saw Mr Heavens lying on the ground outside a nightclub in Stokes Croft, with his nose smashed and two people restraining him.

He described how he and his friends bought alcohol and as they went past the club he spotted the man who had been on the ground with a distressed woman.

Speaking via an interpreter, he told the jury: "At this point the guy turned round and said something; I don't know what it was.

"He said something about Poles, that's for sure.

"Robert spoke to him in Polish and Heavens launched at him. They started having a scuffle, it didn't look like a fight.

"I pushed Robert away twice, the others were slightly ahead and I said 'I'm going'."

Earlier Miles Chambers, who was working as a taxi driver that night, said he was so concerned he followed the men in his car and told police he witnessed the attack.

He said: "It was clear the guy was caged into this situation. It was a no win situation for him.

"He was defending his girlfriend, as any man would do. I don't really report things to the police but it was out of order.

"It seemed inappropriate for Bristol.

"There was something about the taste of this. It was nasty, really nasty."