Brothers accused of brawling in street with workmen after ‘attempted abduction’ | UK | News

Three brothers armed with improvised weapons were allegedly involved in a violent street brawl with two workmen after accusing them of attempting to abduct a child, a court has heard. Neil, Mark and Alan McGovern are said to have armed themselves with items including metal poles and a wooden bat during the altercation outside a takeaway on Lower Breck Road in Anfield, Liverpool.

The incident erupted the day after one of the brothers’ daughters had reportedly been the target of an attempted abduction, according to claims made by Neil McGovern. The Liverpool Echo reports that one of the complainants, who had been renovating a nearby pub, was left with a stab wound to the chest and bleeding on the brain, having had his head repeatedly struck against the pavement while lying on the ground.

The three brothers, along with a fourth man, Michael Lawal, are on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of seriously assaulting the two men. All four deny the charges and claim they acted in self-defence.

Prosecutor Ken Grant told the jury: “There had been a report the previous day by Neil McGovern, who said that some men in a white van had tried to kidnap children. Police enquiries took place. The two men had not approached any children. There were community tensions apparently, thus a lot of police officers arrived at the scene.”

Merseyside Police were called at around 4pm on October 22, 2023, to reports of “multiple offenders fighting with weapons”. Matrix officers who attended the scene found one man unconscious in the street with injuries to his head, chest, brain and liver and another semi-conscious and bleeding from his eye.

Officers also recovered what were described as “potential weapons”, including screwdrivers, planks of wood and metal poles, scattered around the area.

Mr Jalali, one of the alleged victims, said he had been working nearby and driving his van around the corner when “two men approached and smashed the windscreen with an object”.

He said he was “hit over the head multiple times” and recalled “seeing something metal, possibly a knife” before waking up in the back of an ambulance.

The second alleged victim, Mr Azizi, told police he was called by Mr Jalali and, upon arriving at the scene, “saw men in possession of weapons.” He said he was then attacked but “did not recall much after that.”

Alan McGovern, 42, of September Road, was arrested at the scene and reportedly made admissions that he had stamped on Mr Jalali and hit him in the head on the pavement three times, adding: “He just got angry,” and that “he was very sorry and regretted his actions”.

Neil McGovern, 36, also of September Road, was seen carrying a green pole. He told police he had heard a “commotion” near his mum’s house and saw people fighting in the street. He admitted joining in and said he regretted his actions.

Michael Lawal, 46, of Lower Breck Road, said in a prepared statement: “I was smashed in the head by a large white stick, and it hurt very badly. I was assaulted by at least three males. One had a curved knife. He used it to stab me three times. The worst was on the left forearm.”

Mark McGovern, 38, of Dorset Road, handed himself in to police on December 9. He told officers he had seen his brothers being attacked and “got upset, entering the fight to defend them.

CCTV showed him striking one of the complainants with a wooden pole, but he “remained adamant” that he “did not plan to attack anyone.”

Judge Stuart Driver KC told the jury: “The prosecution say that, on a Tuesday afternoon last October, these men attacked some other men in that road in Anfield, and that each of these men had a weapon and caused injuries to the other men. 

“The defendants agree that they were there, but say that they were not the attackers and that they were acting in reasonable self defence.”

The trial continues and is expected to last around a week.