Brawl in stalls at theatre's Fleetwood Mac tribute night

A VIOLENT brawl broke out among audience members enjoying a musical tribute act at a theatre, a court has heard.

- JASON EVANS

The chain of events which started with comments about loud and disruptive behaviour in the auditorium lead to a fight which saw kicks being aimed and the police being called.

A judge at Swansea Crown Court said the seriousness of the offence of affray lay in the impact it had on those who witness disorder in public places.

She said she had heard evidence from members of staff at the theatre who described the effect of the incident on them, and she noted the venue had felt the need employ external security as audiences generally were becoming more rowdy.

The court has previously heard that on the night of May 1, 2023, Swansea's Grand Theatre was hosting a Fleetwood Mac tribute act with around 1,000 fans in the venue.

During the show words were exchanged between the defendants - Dean Snooks, Jackie Snooks, and Kirsty Davies - and a pair of brothers sat near them about loud disruptive behaviour during the performance.

The confrontation progressed to threats and then to violence at one of the doors to the auditorium as a brawl broke out between the two groups, a brawl which included kicks being aimed.

Theatre staff tried to calm the situation but the fight continued, and at one stage Dean Snooks was caught on CCTV forcefully pushing a security guard who was trying to separate the parties. Police were called and the defendants were subsequently arrested. They answered "no comments" to all questions asked in their interviews.