TWO young men who were on opposing sides in a street brawl in Chester city centre on Friday night were “happy” to sit side-by-side in a court dock.

Philip Barlow, 19, and Cameron Edwards, 20, intervened in defence of their friends, who had been involved in a fight inside Off the Wall on St John Street on March 22.

The four men then ended up in a scuffle in the road on Pepper Street before police arrived to chase them down and arrest them.

At Chester Magistrates Court on Monday (March 25) both pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour with Edwards also admitting possession of the drug ketamine.

The pair were each sentenced to a 12-month community order with Barlow ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and Edwards made the subject of a daily 9pm to 6am curfew for 12 weeks.

Defending, Richard Thomas said the pair accepted what they had done “in the heat of the moment” but stressed they only became involved to help their respective friends.

“There are no hard feelings,” he said. “They are happy to sit in the dock together.”

CCTV played to the court showed Barlow swing a kick at Edwards – and falling over when he missed. He then tried to grab at his opponent’s leg.

Edwards, meanwhile, did land a kick on one of the other men who was on the floor.

“Thankfully, nobody was injured,” Mr Thomas said.

The court heard Barlow, of Wordsworth Crescent, Blacon, has no previous convictions and currently works as a barman in the city.

Edwards, of Llys Y Wennol, Northop Hall, Mold, is now working as a welder and was described by Mr Thomas as an “extraordinarily hard-working young man”.

He was also said to have a problem with alcohol and was ordered to undertake a 35-day rehabilitation activity and Thinking Skills Programme to tackle the issue.

Both must pay court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of the same amount.

* Of the other two men involved in the fight, one was previously handed a community order and the second pleaded not guilty and will face a trial.