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Walsall club attacker has sentenced reduced

A man who was jailed for his part in a terrifying brawl after a row outside a Walsall nightclub has had his sentence slashed by senior judges.

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Ryan James Norton, 25, was one of three men locked up for their roles in the brutal early hours attack near to Club X, in November last year.

Norton, of Dorset Road, Wednesbury, said he was drunk and could not explain why he had got involved in the violence.

He admitted violent disorder and was jailed for 26 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court in June.

But yesterday, after an appeal by his lawyers in London, three judges said the sentence was "manifestly excessive" and cut it to 20 months.

The harm caused to victims was not long-lasting and Norton had been the least culpable of the three attackers, said Mr Justice Irwin.

"A full reduction of one-third for his plea of guilty brings the appropriate sentence here to one of 20 months," he said.

The court heard violence had flared up after words were exchanged between two groups of men outside the nearby Vogue nightclub.

One man was attacked by Fidell Glanville and Darren Abrahams, but Norton then joined in, kicking or stamping and punching the man. Glanville was jailed for 32 months and Abrahams for 26 months for violent disorder.

Lawyers for Norton yesterday argued that it was wrong for him to get the same punishment as Abrahams, who had a record of trouble with the law.

Norton himself only had cautions on his record and was the least involved, Mr Justice Irwin, Lord Justice Treacy and Mrs Justice Elisabeth Laing were told.

Giving judgment at the Appeal Court, Mr Justice Irwin said Norton had been too harshly punished, given that his role was less central than the others.

His sentence was cut to 20 months' imprisonment.

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