TWO rival gang members have been jailed for their part in a large fight which saw a man shot in a Bolton street.

Michael Berkley , aged 34, of The Parklands, Radcliffe, and Ammar Akbar, 37, of Castle Street, Bolton have both been jailed at Bolton Crown Court.

Akbar was sentenced to 26 months in prison after pleading guilty to affray, violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon. Berkley was sentenced to 12 months in prison after admitting violent disorder.

On May 20 police were called to the Castle Street area after reports that a large group of men armed with weapons were fighting with each other.

Darren Preston, prosecuting, told how motorist Daniel Jackson was parked in Devon Street when he saw a group of around 15 Asian men on the street corner near the Premier Store in Castle Street.

The group increased in size to about 25 men, who congregated in front of his vehicle.

A group of men backed another man, dressed in a camouflage top and later identified as Berkley, against the car to the point that he was sat on the bonnet.

One of the group then said to Berkley: “What’s up with you? You were hugging and kissing me last week.”

Mr Preston said: “The male in the arm top reacted badly to what was going on, slammed his hands down on the bonnet of Mr Jackson’s car and then tore his T-shirt off.”

Berkley threw a punch “effectively kickstarting the melee that followed”.

Mr Jackson’s girlfriend and her employer arrived and drove at the gang to disperse them.

“At about this time Mr Jackson heard what he described as a gun shot,” said Mr Preston. The gang of men scattered and a relative of Akbar, Shadaab Akbar was seen limping away.

He later attended the Royal Bolton Hospital where a bullet was removed from his leg.  During the melee Akbar was seen running towards the group and was seen to throw a punch as the men milled around.

Witnesses to the fight have described seeing a man pull out a gun and shoot another who had been lying on the ground being kicked by numerous people.

Officers swiftly responded but the two opposing sides that had been involved had dispersed.

At 11pm Berkley and his girlfriend turned up at a hotel in Manchester where they stayed for two nights.

“Berkley needed to lay low,” said Mr Preston.

“Despite it being a Sunday evening the defendant had managed to get, not only a change of clothes, but a substantial change of appearance, with hair cut and a shave, prior to checking in.”

Inquiries carried out by officers from Bolton CID confirmed that the fight was between two rival gangs, of which Michael Berkley and Ammar Akbar were on opposing sides.

Detectives investigating the case were able to identify Berkley as having thrown a punch, while CCTV confirmed Akbar as being in the midst of the brawl throwing punches at people.

Berkley was arrested four days later and Akbar was tracked down to an address in Luton on June 14.

At the time of the fight Akbar, a married father-of-two who was about to open a fish and chip shop in Radcliffe Road, Bolton, was on bail for another violent offence.

Bolton Crown Court heard how, on Good Friday, he had attended a child’s birthday party at Jump Xtreme in Trinity Retail Park.

The ex-partner of the child’s mother was there and confronted him.

The venue’s manager saw Akbar coming out of the building shouting: “It’s two on one, wait until my boys come.”

Akbar went to his car, pulled out a hatchet and chased the men’s car, swinging the hatchet three times at the driver’s car.

“The males drove away, but not before driving slowly into the side of the defendant’s care before they drove off, laughing,” said Mr Preston.

David Bentley, defending stressed that Akbar had not started the confrontation.

“He is totally ashamed of what he did,” he said. “It is a very quick and impulsive reaction.

Daniel Hannon, defending Berkley, said that, in recent years, his level of offending has reduced.

Originally Berkley was charged with possessing a firearm, but was acquitted of the offence after new evidence came to light at the last minute before a trial.

Sentencing Berkley and Akbar for their offences, Judge Timothy Stead said the crimes had been “truly serious”, especially as, during the violent disorder in Devon Street, someone was shot.

“Mercifully, it did not seem to have been the greatest of injuries in the circumstances,” said Judge Stead.

Following the sentencing Det Insp Steph Parker, from Bolton police, said: “At the time this incident caused serious worry among local residents given the brazen attitude of the men involved.

“They clearly did not care about who saw what happened or whether anybody got caught in the cross fire, their only concern was getting the better of the other side.

“We are committed to dismantling groups like the two that were involved and preventing incidents like this from happening on the streets of Bolton again."

“Today’s sentencing is a positive step in that direction and I hope it will send a clear message to the criminal fraternity that we will do all we can to put a stop to what you are doing and bring you to justice.”