Three men jailed after city centre fight

Chris Gerald, Dureece Smith and Tionne Loftman

Three men have been jailed after a fight involving knives in Nottingham city centre.

Police were called to Market Square in the early hours of Saturday June 22 last year when two groups of men began fighting after a dispute in a nightclub.

In the ensuing melee, cameras in the Market Square recorded multiple people holding knives.

One young man required hospital treatment after sustaining a blow to his face from 29-year-old Christopher Gerald.

The blow, which caused damage to the man’s eye, was caught on CCTV but it was not clear what it was delivered with.

Dureece Smith, aged 27,  and Christopher Gerald, aged 29, were then caught on another camera as they fled the city centre in Smith’s BMW.

Tionne Loftman, aged 23, denied being at the scene but was tracked by mobile phone from the Market Square area to a local address.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday 8 January, all three men were jailed.

Gerald, of no fixed address, had earlier pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent.

He also admitted to possessing cannabis with intent to supply after an incident in October 2022 and was jailed for 33 months.

Lotfman, of no fixed address, was found guilty of affray and possessing a knife in a public place at an earlier hearing. He was jailed for 27 months.

Smith, of no fixed address, was found guilty of possessing a knife in a public place but found not guilty of affray. He was jailed for 18 months.

Detective Constable Joshua Carvell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“This was an appalling display of violence that would have caused considerable alarm to anyone who saw it.

"Each of these men are old enough to know better and fortunate not to inflict or fall victim to very serious or even fatal injuries.

“As it is they now have the opportunity to use their time behind bars to reflect on their actions and potentially change the direction of their lives.

“I was proud to be part of a wider team of detectives who worked on this case – the result of which clearly demonstrates that people who behave in this way are very likely to go to prison – with all the life-long consequences that go with that.

“Tackling knife crime is a priority for us and we will do whatever it takes to bring those responsible to justice.”