Latics legend and sons sentenced for brawl

Garry Hoolickin

OLDHAM Athletic legend Garry Hoolickin and his three sons appeared in court after a stag do turned violent.

Hoolickin (59) played for Latics in the 1970s and 1980s. One of his sons, Michael Hoolickin, died last year after being stabbed outside a pub in Middleton in a separate incident.

Garry Hoolickin was celebrating his son Anthony's upcoming wedding at the Revolution Bar in Manchester city centre, a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing was told

Anthony Hoolickin (42), who also played for Oldham, was on a night out with about 20 friends and family members. He went outside for a smoke with his brother Christopher, but as they returned to the venue in Parsonage Gardens the doormen refused to let Christopher (39) back in.

When Garry Hoolickin Snr tried to negotiate with the bouncers one of them pushed forcefully and he stumbled backwards into the the road.

His sons Garry Jnr (32) and Christopher went to his defence and an "ugly" street brawl developed between members of the stag party and the bouncers.

One bouncer was repeatedly punched and kicked on the ground. Despite the fact he wasn't the bouncer who had shoved Garry Hoolickin Snr, the man ended up the subject of a "revenge" attack. He suffered memory loss as a result of what he described as a "rain of blows", and has since left his job.

Christopher and Anthony Hoolickin admitted charges of affray and assault causing actual bodily harm and were sentenced to 18 months, suspended for a year, with 200 hours' unpaid work and ordered to pay £600 each to the victim.

Garry Hoolickin Jnr and family friend Andrew Orrell (31), admitted affray and were sentenced to 12 months, suspended for a year, with 150 hours' unpaid work and ordered to pay £300 each to the victim.

Garry Hoolickin Snr was given a 12-month community order, with 120 hours' unpaid work, ands ordered to pay £300 compensation.

Sentencing the men, all from the Middleton area, Judge Richard Mansell QC said the trouble flared after Garry Hoolickin Snr was subject to not only "unreasonable force" but a "dangerous act" from the bouncer who had pushed him into the road, and was "fortunate not to be prosecuted." But he added that the group then behaved like a "pack of animals" in setting on the doorman's "blameless" colleague.