Couple in horrific brawl after being ‘asked to leave bar for being too drunk’ | Great Britain

The couple got into a terrible village brawl after being heavily intoxicated.

Daniel and Serena Hallam were drunk for three hours after taking their sons to Alsager Cricket Club in Cheshire to watch a Euro qualifier between England and Ukraine in March last year.

Mrs Hallam, 36, who worked as a social worker and primary school principal, got so drunk she threw up all over herself and the ladies’ toilets and was told to go home by barmaid Samantha Beresford.

In response, Mrs Hallam pulled Ms Beresford by the hair and punched her before her 38-year-old husband punched the victim in the face. The pair then attacked barman Anthony Durose, who tried to intervene but was knocked out in the melee.

Ms Beresford now has permanent metal plates and pins in her jaw and continues to experience pain and spits and lisps when she speaks. Mr. Durose suffered a broken tooth, a damaged cheekbone and a broken rib.

At Chester Crown Court, Mr Hallam was jailed for two years after admitting grievous bodily harm and assault.
Mrs Hallam, who has since lost her job, admitted assault and battery and was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months and given 20 days of rehabilitation and 200 hours of unpaid work.

The couple will now have to sell their £400,000 three-bed home in a cul-de-sac in Alzager.
Prosecutor Mr Brett Willamson said: ‘Serena Hallam was heavily intoxicated, went to the toilet to make herself sick and Ms Beresford followed her in to tell her to leave. Serena Hallam then vomited into the sink and onto the floor, and an argument ensued between the two. their.

“Anthony Durose joined in, repeating Mrs Hallam’s request to leave, telling Mrs Hallam: ‘Come on, duck, you won’t be served again.’ Ms Beresford went to the bar, but as she did, Serena Hallam pulled her hair and punched Ms Beresford, who was punched twice in the face by Daniel Hallam, who came to see what was going on.

“The attack knocked Ms Beresford to the ground and then Serena Hallam jumped on top of her and attacked her as well. Daniel Hallam punched Mr Durose in the face and he fell unconscious onto the sofa. When he began to regain consciousness, he was He was attacked again both accused.

“When the police arrived Mr Hallam was arrested but Serena Hallam was clearly drunk, verbally abusive, shouting, swearing and hysterical and was taken home by her brother and the children. She was later arrested at her home address.”

Mr Hallam made no comment during police questioning but was said to be “visibly upset and emotional” when shown CCTV footage of the abuse. Mrs Hallam denied being drunk and claimed Ms Beresford physically held her down and bruised her arms.

In a statement, Ms Beresford said: “My jaw had to be tied before the operation and I waited several days before I had the operation. The pins and plates are the same and I still have pain in my jaw.

“I had to pay a significant amount of money for dental work on my teeth. I live in a small community and I feel like people judge me and think I’m a liar.”

Mr Durose, whose daughter also worked at the cricket club, said it had affected his confidence and he now found it difficult to cope with social events.

Mr Hallam’s defense counsel, Bob Sastry, said: ‘Of course he does not behave in this way and certainly the phrase ‘out of character’ can be applied in this case. He is usually an outstanding individual both in terms of his contribution to society and his own family.

“He had consumed more alcohol than usual on the night of the offenses and this may have affected his behaviour. He and his wife are extremely abhorrent in their actions and are as ashamed as anyone to be sitting in front of you in the dock, a place they never expected to be.

“If they are sent to custody, they will not be able to pay mortgage and the house would no longer be theirs.”
Mrs Hallam’s barrister Emily Woodside said: “Prior to this incident she had led a law abiding life and made a significant contribution to society.

“She worked as a social worker for 13 years after completing her diploma in social work and became a senior social worker in Cheshire East, but she lost that job as a result of this offence.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Berkson banned the Hallams from contacting the victims for seven years under the terms of a restraining order.

He told them: “What should have been an enjoyable evening for all concerned ended in disgrace. It was violent drunken behavior that you both displayed at a cricket club, in which two people were injured, one of them very seriously.

“What makes this even more serious is that not only were there children at the time, but two of those children were your children. They should have witnessed your drunken state. They should have witnessed your violent acts. What an example for them to set two young people.