Mum of 12 and family on the run after one of the worst Birmingham city centre fights ever seen

Ellen Sweeney, 39, her partner Thomas Sweeney senior, 43 and their son Thomas Sweeney junior, 18, previously of Stechford, were sentenced to jail but it is believed they have fled to Ireland

A mother of 12, her husband and their teenage son have gone on the run after being involved in 'one of the worst' fights to ever take place in Birmingham city centre. Ellen Sweeney, 39, Thomas Sweeney senior, 43 and Thomas Sweeney junior, 18, along with David Mongan, 18 and at least four other relatives attacked numerous men and women as they drunkenly spilled out of Glamorous nightclub in the Gay Village in the early hours.

One victim was knocked unconscious after being repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on while he was on the ground. A woman suffered a deep cut across the chest with a glass bottle and another had seizures following blows to her head. Others sustained cuts and bruises.

The Sweeneys, previously of Kitts Green Road, Stechford, all admitted violent disorder and received jail sentences in their absence after failing to appear at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday, Tuesday, September 17 for the second time in a fortnight.

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They had been allowed to keep their bail at a previous hearing after claiming Thomas junior was due to get married, but they were believed to have fled to the Republic of Ireland.

Mongan, of Frederick Road, Stechford, was present and sentenced to imprisonment for admitting violent disorder and three separate offences of shoplifting. Judge Dean Kershaw said: "You are all cowards, complete and utter cowards, engaging in violence against people when they were intoxicated and drunk. Using that mob culture to attack people in that way."

He added: "This is one of the worst violent disorders in this city with multiple people being attacked, assaulted, kicked in the body and kicked in the head. In various ways you all took part watching, engaging, encouraging others by acts or individual acts of violence. It was gratuitous at times."

It happened in the early hours of July 15 last year and lasted several minutes as it escalated until police arrived. Prosecutor Alura Bather said it began when Thomas senior got into a 'verbal disagreement' with an Asian male which became 'physically aggressive' on Hurst Street. Senior later claimed he had been racially abused but there was no further evidence of the allegation.

CCTV showed his family joining in before a smaller group of them, including Thomas junior and Mongan, chased the male through the Gay Village. Mongan knocked him to the floor and was counted to have delivered 21 punches and 14 kicks to the victim, as well as punched another member of the public who tried to intervene.

Thomas junior punched the initial victim twice and kicked him 14 times before Thomas senior caught up and joined in the attack. Ellen Sweeney arrived and was seemingly trying to protect the man from her own family before she was dragged away and left sprawling in the road.

The attack, which left the victim unconscious, continued for several minutes before events shifted back to the entrance of Glamorous nightclub. The prosecutor told the court Ellen Sweeney got into a verbal altercation with a another woman, punched her to the face and called her a 'whore'.

It prompted further wild scenes as her family members joined in the melee. The woman's friend was glassed across the chest by one of the defendants' family members, while a man sitting on a large concrete bollard - and seemingly not immediately involved - was punched to the floor.

Thomas junior also struck out at a taxi driver who got out of his car to see what was going on while Ellen Sweeney could be seen to be throwing multiple punches at someone. The female victims tried to run away towards a nearby Dixy Chicken and even flag down a bin lorry driver for help.

But they were chased down and attacked again, including by Mongan who punched and kicked one of the women while they were on the floor. Police arrived on the scene soon after and arrests were made.

The Sweeneys have since moved out of Birmingham and were bailed to an address in Croydon, London. The court was told Thomas junior last attended Lavender Hill Police Station on August 9 while Thomas senior and Ellen Sweeney checked in on August 13. But The Metropolitan Police did not notice their later absences and breaches of bail until August 21, blaming new staff and bail books not being checked regularly enough.

Enquiries were made at their London address but they were not there. Police attended again at 2am on the morning of their sentencing hearing but while the lights were on, the property was said to be 'completely empty'.

The Sweeneys were previously listed for sentence at the end of August but failed to show with Judge Kershaw giving them one final chance. The court heard Ellen Sweeney, who had been the family's main point of contact, called her solicitors the previous day, claiming she had got the court date wrong and they were in Scotland visiting family.

But an investigation into her phone showed it was in fact in the Republic of Ireland, where it was believed the family had remained since. Judge Kershaw said: "It's all nonsense. She's in Ireland ringing on the 29th saying she thought it (the court date) was tomorrow. What is she going to do swim across the channel? This is just a ruse. I warned them."

He said INTERPOL and the Irish authorities would now be engaged in trying to arrest them. Meanwhile Mongan had been remanded into custody after carrying out three lucrative shoplifting raids, stealing more than £8,500-worth of goods.

Acting with others and using distraction techniques he targeted large hauls of tobacco from a Co-op in Upton upon Severn in Worcestershire in June 2022 and a One Stop in Lincoln in August last year. He stole Nicorette and dental goods from a Tesco Extra in Chesterfield last November.

Mongan was sentenced to three years and four months. Philip Brunt, defending, said he was 'immature' and 'intoxicated' during the Gay Village incident. He added: "He wasn't thinking of the consequences. He describes his actions as reckless, being young and stupid and he says he regrets it."

Thomas junior was sentenced to two years and four months detention. Morgan Pirone, mitigating for him despite never having met him, said he had a previously clean record, his actions were out of character and it was the first time he had drunk alcohol.

Thomas senior received two years and ten months. His defence counsel Jordan Warren said he had had a 'significant amount of trauma' in his life, suffered mental health difficulties and 'had a large number of children'.

Ellen Sweeney was sentenced to one year and 11 months. Jas Dhaliwal, defending, said the mother of 12 was 'extremely ashamed', apologetic and remorseful. He argued she had acted as protector to the victim in the first half of the disorder but conceded she instigated the second half of the violence.

Judge Kershaw said he would have considered suspending her sentence but concluded he had 'no confidence' she would comply with any community-based punishments due to her failure to attend court.