SEVEN men and a teenage boy have been jailed for a total of more than 50 years after a large-scale disturbance in Liverpool City Centre in which a man was stabbed.

At around 5.30am on Wednesday, December 27 last year, police found a 21-year-old man at the junction of Church Street and Whitechapel with stab wounds.

They gave medical assistance to the man. He was taken to hospital and later released to continue to recover from his injuries.

A further two males also self-presented at hospital with injuries – one with a stab wound to the back and the second with a laceration to the head.

Following an extensive investigation detectives charged a number of males in connection with the incident.

The following have now been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court:

  • Jordan Kinsella, 30, of Harrogate Drive, Everton, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was found guilty of section 20 assault and was jailed for four years.
  • Cameron Quinn, 21, of Swanside Avenue, Huyton, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was found guilty of two section 18 assaults. He was jailed for 12 years.
  • Milne Critchley, 21, of Sprucewood Close, Anfield, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was found guilty of a section 18 assault. He was jailed for 10 years.
  • Adam Draper, 21, of St David's Road, Huyton, pleaded guilty to section 20 assault. He was jailed for four years and issued with a two year Serious Violence Reduction Order (SRVO), which will take effect following his release
  • George Miller, 21, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was found guilty of section 18 assault. He was jailed for 10 years.
  • Lee Duffy, 20, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was found guilty of possession of a bladed article, guilty of section 20 wounding and attempted s18 wounding with intent. He was jailed for six years.
  • Eugene Mason-Lamb, 30, of Hodder Road, Liverpool pleaded guilty to violent disorder and received a 15 month sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work.
  • A 17-year-old male pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon and found guilty of two s18 assaults. He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in a young offenders institute.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts said: "What happened in the early hours of 27 December last year was totally unacceptable and led to three people suffering serious injuries.

"It is only by sheer luck and the intervention of the police officers who were first at scene that we were not dealing with a murder investigation.

"Due to the scale of the disorder this has been a very complex and challenging investigation during which hours of CCTV footage were reviewed and an extensive number of witnesses spoken to.

"Today eight individuals have been sentenced to a total of more than 50 years behind bars as a result of their reckless actions on that night.

"I hope this serves as message to anyone thinking of behaving in such a manner that it will not be tolerated and we will take decisive action to find the people responsible and bring them to justice.

“Similarly anyone thinking of taking a knife out with them should be aware of the robust action we will continue to take and I would ask the public to make us aware of who these people are so we can stop them.”