IT was like a scene from West Side Story, as a gang of heavily armed Farnham youths descended on a rival group to do battle over the love of a pretty 15-year-old girl. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had just switched her affections and the gang, including the spurned boyfriend, were bent on revenge. A court heard how just after dark on the day of the break-up, the gang of seven roared up in two cars to the home of the new lover, but he was warned and fled. So they set about his friends, smashing up a car as two terrified girls inside were hit by flying glass. One lad, bashed in the leg with a club, was so seriously injured that he has been left with a permanent limp. It led to Barry Jamieson, 20, of Weybourne Road, Ricky Apperley, 20, of Crondall Lane, Daniel Cooper, 26 and Christopher Parratt, 20, both of Greenfield Road, Danny Lee Parratt, 21, of The Chantrys, Gareth Marshall, 20, of Cobbetts Way and 21-year-old Alex Elkins, of Beldham Road, Wrecclesham, appearing before Guildford Crown Court for sentence, having been found guilty of affray. During the four-week trial, which ended last Wednesday, the court heard how the girl had been interchanging between boyfriends but "chucked" Alex Elkins on April 10 last year. Jonathan Davies, prosecuting told the court how she had spent most of the afternoon with the her new suitor and friends before meeting Elkins in the car park of The Six Bells in Farnham. Mr Davies said: "She seemed to be switching between them and it caused a lot of bad feeling. It may well be the reason behind the incident on April 10. "She decided she wanted to finish the relationship and go out with the other lad." Mr Davies said a black Citroen, driven by Barry Jamieson, pulled up, blocking the entrance to the entrance of the pub car park, and five men got out, one with a broken snooker cue in his hand. One approached the car which the girl had arrived in and asked the driver where Elkins' rival was. The rival was actually in the back of the car, but the driver lied. The court heard that the group may have believed the rival was responsible for "a beating" that Elkins had received. About six hours later, the group raced up in the Saxo and another car to the road where the new boyfriend, who cannot be named, for legal reasons, lived in Farnham. Jamieson and four other men got out of the Saxo. Elkins and three others got out of the second car. "Several of them were carrying bats, snooker cues and iron bars. No weapons have been recovered, but that is what people saw at the scene," said Mr Davies. The man the girl had been seeing made his escape. Mr Davies said the men then surrounded a Peugeot parked at the house and hit the owner around the top of his right thigh with a bar about 18 inches long. Having been hit, he fled, but looked back and saw his car being smashed up. "There were still people in the car - two girls and a boy. They were showered with glass as the windows smashed," said Mr Davies. Two of the girls ran into a house to call the police, but the boy was punched in the face before the group fled. Elkins stormed up before they left, saying he "hoped they were all hurt". Richard Button, defending Parratt, said: "This was not a group of young men randomly looking for a target. "Without the three-way relationship we heard of during the trial, this incident would never have happened." Judge Michael Addison, sentencing, said: "You, Alex Elkins, had a grievance against one of the victim's concerning a girlfriend. It may be that you thought he was responsible for you having been assaulted. "In any event, you enlisted the help of your friends and just after dark you all went in two cars to find him and teach him a lesson. You found him and others, including two young girls who had done absolutely nothing to any of you. "The girls were understandably terrified and slightly injured by the flying glass. This was a sudden and violent armed assault carried out against a much smaller group. "The assault was deliberately planned during the course of the day. It was a joint venture in which all of you took part. I don't distinguish between the parts. "The evidence showed, Barry Jamieson, you were probably the ring leader, you drove the leading car. "The evidence is that you struck the teenager on the leg and then took part in damaging the vehicle. "These offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified. The judge said that mob violence must be discouraged and, as far as the intimidation was concerned, witnesses must be protected. The group, were each ordered by Judge Addison to serve six months in a young offenders' institution, except for Cooper, who was older, and he was jailed for six months, Jamieson and Christopher Parratt were also found guilty of intimidating witnesses and ordered to serve a further six months in a young offenders' institution. Kelvin Berry, 20, of Talbot Road, Farnham, was cleared by the jury of the affray. Apperley separately admitted assault causing actual bodily harm on April 3 last year when he fractured a boy's wrist with a pool cue, for which he received a concurrent term of six months. Danny-Lee Parratt also admitted an affray on November 12 last year. punching and hitting two different people with a piece of plastic board used for dealing with road traffic control, for which he received a concurrent term of six months. An 18 year old was ordered to carry out 100 hours' community punishment order for his part in the affray on November 12.
