Police officers followed smell of cannabis and discovered three guns in holdall

Mark Nolan was described as a 'quiet young man' who had been pressurised into minding the firearms after racking up debts

A thug who glassed two students during a brawl at a Smithdown Road pub was previously caught minding three guns when police raided a cannabis farm. Mark Nolan had visited the bar in order to watch a football match on the television but instead turned violent after downing up to seven bottles of beer, two of which he thrust into the faces of his victims.

The episode was sparked after a woman made an accusation of sexual assault against his cousin Raymond Perry, who himself launched a bar stool towards one of the injured men after he had been left with a broken cheekbone and permanently scarred. The aspiring dentist says that "could have been blinded or killed" as a result of the attack.

Liverpool Crown Court heard this week that "regulars" Nolan and Perry were both present in the Brookhouse pub in Wavertree on the evening of September 21 2023 when the latter was accused of "inappropriately touching" a woman and was confronted by her boyfriend, who were part of a group of students who were also in attendance that night. While the 28-year-old, of Kingsley Road in Toxteth, was only said to have "jokingly tapped her on the shoulder" and was ultimately not charged with any sexual offences, this "appeared to be the catalyst" for the ensuing melee.

David Watson, prosecuting, described how Perry was pushed to the chest by the other man in the foyer, but then responded by punching him twice to the face. Nolan, of Moss Grove in Toxteth, was thereafter shown on CCTV running over from the table where he had been seated and striking the complainant over the head with a beer bottle before the incident was broken up by security staff.

Another man, Shyun Patel, had been at the pub with the victim of this first bottling. As their group left the premises around 10 minutes after the initial altercation, they were set upon by another unidentified man who punched both of them to the head.

Mr Patel was then "struck by a bottle at close quarters" by Nolan, causing him to "immediately wince" and put his hands to his face. His 39-year-old assailant was then shown putting his hood up and leaving "in haste".

Perry meanwhile armed himself with a bar stool and launched it towards the injured man before also leaving in a car. Mr Patel was rushed to the Royal Liverpool Hospital as a result of the attack and was subsequently transferred to Aintree Hospital, having suffered a broken left cheekbone and a gruesome 5cm wound which left the muscle beneath exposed.

This laceration was cleaned and sutured by medics, while the fracture did not require surgery. He also suffered a separate cut to the top of the head from where he had been hit by the chair.

Mr Patel, who was aged 21 at the time of the assault and had been studying dentistry at the University of Liverpool, will require cosmetic surgery to repair his facial scar. In a statement which was read to the court on his behalf, he stated that the "events had left a lasting impact on his life" and added: "The city of Liverpool and its people have always been open and kind to me. These events have changed how I feel about my surroundings.

"For a month after the assault, I covered the mirrors in my house with bin bags to avoid seeing the gash on my face. I stood up for what I believed was right that night for someone in a vulnerable position, hearing that a young woman had been subjected to inappropriate advances.

"No mother should ever look at her son's face and feel upset. This crime could have blinded me or, worse, killed me if it had struck me to the temple. I stood up for what was right. I ask the court to ensure that these actions are not without consequences."

Both defendants subsequently handed themselves in following a CCTV appeal by Merseyside Police. Perry went on to tell detectives under interview that he had acted in self-defence during the first portion of the incident, but accepted that he had then thrown the chair "in the heat of the moment" and "agreed that his actions had got out of hand".

Nolan has five previous convictions for 15 offences, including for drug and firearms offences. The ECHO previously reported in 2009 that the latter saw the then 24-year-old put behind bars for nine years.

Ian Davies, appearing for the prosecution on this occasion, detailed how he was arrested after police were tipped off about a suspected drugs factory by housing officials. When officers arrived at his then home on Timpron Street in Edge Hill, they smelled cannabis and discovered an upstairs bedroom had been turned into a farm containing 26 plants.

A further search revealed a holdall containing three firearms, ammunition and a box with 138g of heroin and 72g of cocaine inside. The weapons inside the bag were said to have been a Smith and Wesson revolver, a converted Maglite torch and a key fob pistol.

Nolan's counsel Neville Biddle labelled him a "quiet young man" who had been pressurised into stashing the firearms and drugs after racking up debts. Judge David Aubrey KC told him: "You must have been close, if not very close, to those who ultimately had possession of them.

"They certainly trusted you and by providing a safehouse, and so minding these devastating lethal weapons, you were perpetuating their very presence of such firearms in our midst. The message, yet again, must go out that those who mind such items will lose their liberty for a significant period of time."

Nolan also made another appearance for affray in 2016 following a fight on Bold Street, which saw him kick and stamp on his victim as he lay on the floor. Michael Scholes, defending, said of this altercation on Tuesday: "In the early hours of the morning, Mr Nolan was returning from Liverpool city centre when he was subjected to an attack and he took revenge. Mr Nolan admitted that, in effect, he had gone far too far. I have to accept that his antecedents are unattractive, but I ask the court to accept that his convictions for violence are limited.

"The footage clearly shows Mr Nolan with a friend having a drink when there was an incident that he had no knowledge of and no participation in, involving Mr Perry. His misfortune was that Mr Perry was his cousin, and he felt a completely misguided sense of loyalty to Mr Perry.

"He had no idea of what had sparked the incident. What he saw and perceived was Mr Perry being attacked. He had that wrong, but in his head, on the evening, I submit it is understandable that that might have been his misperception of what was occurring.

"He is devoted to his partner and child. For those who know him best, the behaviour we have seen is not the person that they know. There is another, and a better, side to him. He presents, in many respects, as a gentle and caring man.

"I appreciate that may seem hollow, but he did not go out that night looking for trouble. He had gone to watch a football match on the television and was dragged into events he had no real involvement or interest in, apart from his family connection, and he is now going to pay a high price."

Mr Scholes added: "He has a good work record. He tells me that he is desperately anxious to have this all over and done with so that he can get on with his sentence and move on in his life."

Perry has two previous convictions for drug offences, including the supply of class A substances. His counsel John Rowan told the court: "He attended the police station and made significant admissions and accepted that his behaviour was completely inappropriate. That shame and disgust as to his involvement some 18 months ago remains.

"This is an incident which was completely out of character for Mr Perry. The court will be aware that he does have previous convictions which are unrelated and some nine years ago now. He was a much younger man back then. He had been out of trouble until this unfortunate incident, with no offending since.

"Despite his fear and anxiety at returning to custody, he has not been resting on his laurels at all. He is a hard working young man. He is a self-employed plasterer.

"It was his local public house. He had been going there for many years without issue. He accepts that, on that evening, he was acting foolishly. He describes foolishly tapping people on the shoulder in a jokey manner. He, unfortunately, picked on the wrong person, because this female took issue.

"The defendant would say that it was in no way an advance or sexual touching. [Her boyfriend] took issue. It was, in fact, [her boyfriend] who made the initial contact with Mr Perry. The defendant accepts that he lost his temper at being assaulted, in his mind, and he reacted badly.

"What can be seen is completely over the top. He tells me 'I should have just left it there, that should have been the end of the matter'. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Mr Perry accepts that he, to his great embarrassment and shame, threw the chair towards that group. He is disgusted in his actions.

"This was, effectively, completely out of character for him. He has never been involved in violence before. He is in a long term relationship with his partner of 10 years. He does not have any drug issues. He does not drink regularly. Of course, he accepts that he was under the influence on this evening."

Nolan was found guilty of wounding with intent by a jury following a trial, having previously admitted unlawful wounding and affray. Wearing a grey Under Armour tracksuit top in the dock, he was jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Perry pleaded guilty to affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Appearing in the dock in a pale blue top and with his left arm in a sling, having injured himself when he "slipped at home when arousing from sleep and fell awkwardly", he was handed nine-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months plus 180 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days.

Both men were also handed five-year restraining orders. Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "Yet again, the court is dealing with violence breaking out on a licenced premises.

"It seems that you went independently to the Brookhouse pub that night. As far as you were concerned, Mr Nolan, you went out with another friend intending to watch a football match, and had spent four or five hours in the pub before the violence broke out.

"You say that you had six or seven bottles of beer on that night. Clearly, you, and also Mr Perry, were both in drink. You, Mr Perry, has also been in the pub for a substantial amount of time drinking.

"You had accosted her in some way. I am not dealing with you for that contact. It is only relevant, in a sense, to set the scene and because it turned out to be the catalyst for what was to follow."

Referencing Mr Patel's statement, the judge added: "It is clear what a severe, traumatic experience this has been for someone at his age and at his stage in life. There is still clearly a risk that there will be an irreversible impact."