THREE PEOPLE from Barry have been given suspended prison sentences following a fracas that broke out during a performance by a Fleetwood Mac tribute act at Swansea Grand Theatre.
Swansea Crown Court heard that on the evening of 1st May 2023, there were around 1,000 spectators in the theatre, and that words were exchanged between the defendants, Dean Snooks, Jackie Snooks and Kirsty Davies and two student brothers sitting nearby, who had expressed displeasure at their loud and disruptive behaviour.
The dispute escalated to threats and then to violence at one of the doors of the auditorium and a brawl broke out which included kicks being aimed.
Theatre staff tried to defuse the situation, but the brawl continued with Dean Snooks being shown on CCTV gesturing and kicking at one of the brothers, but it was unclear whether the kick connected with him, and he was then seen forcefully pushing a security guard who was trying to separate the two groups, while Jackie Snooks was shown administering a kick.
One of the brothers was taken to hospital with bruising and swelling to the eye socket, along with bruising to his face and body.
No comment interviews
Police were called to the theatre and the defendants were arrested. They answered “no comment” to all questions asked during their interviews.
During a trial in April, Dean Snooks, 57, of Dyffryn Place, Barry, was convicted of affray, while Jackie Snooks, 46, also of Dyffryn Place, and Kirsty Davies, 39, of Victoria Park Road, earlier pleaded guilty to the same offence.
At the sentencing hearing, the court heard that Dean Snooks has previous convictions that are now “of some age” and he had not been in trouble since 2000, Jackie Snooks has one previous conviction for drink driving and Kirsty Davies has no previous convictions.
Kevin Seal, representing Dean Snooks, said the defendant feels “very patriarchal as far as his family is concerned” and that while he might have started out as a peacemaker in the incident, his approach changed as the situation developed.
Mr Seal said his client had always been a hard-working man and that he held a security licence which he was now likely to lose.
Both female defendants were represented by David Pinnell. He said that work references for Jackie Snooks showed she was “very caring and hard working” and that she also had family caring responsibilities. It was said that if she received an immediate custodial sentence, making alternative arrangements for her caring duties would cause “significant problems”.
Mr Pinnnell said an immediate custodial sentence of six months or more may lead to the loss of her rented accommodation, and he said she acknowledged her problem with alcohol.
When mitigating on behalf of Kirsty Davies, Mr Pinnell said his client recognised she had “over-indulged in alcohol” on the evening in question and was “horrified and ashamed” of her behaviour.
Mr Pinnell said Davies’ 16-year-old son had written a letter to the court which expressed his mother’s remorse for the incident, and the barrister added that Davies no longer drinks alcohol.
Impact statements heard in Court
The court heard impact statements from the siblings, who described how the fracas had left them feeling anxious around crowds and fearful of strangers, and they had been forced to take time out of their university PhD studies.
Judge Catherine Richards said the seriousness of affray was due to the impact it had on members of the public who witnessed the disorder.
She said that during the trial she had heard evidence from staff at the theatre who described the impact the incident had on them.
‘Contributed to that sense of fear’
Judge Richards stated that the Swansea Grand felt it necessary to employ external security officers to aid staff, as theatre audiences have generally become more rowdy over time, something she said was a “damning indictment” of people’s attitudes. Addressing the defendants, she said: “It is clear from the members of staff that they were really shaken up by this. By your collective actions, you contributed to that sense of fear.”
The judge said that behaviour of this type would normally lead to immediate custodial terms, but on this occasion she was persuaded it was appropriate to hand down suspended sentences.
Suspended prison sentences
With no reduction available for a guilty plea, Dean Snooks was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to participate in a rehabilitation course, a mental health treatment plan and to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
The two female defendants received discounts for their guilty pleas. Jackie Snooks was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and to abide by alcohol abstinence monitoring for 90 days. Kirsty Davies was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for 18 months and was ordered to undertake 250 hours of unpaid work.
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