Chesterfield dad-of-three who stormed pub with baseball bat as police waited inside is jailed

Phillip Mellon, 31, had returned home “heavily bleeding” after a fight in the pub car park on May 26 last year.

Derby Crown Court heard he later returned to the Hollingwood Hotel with dad Phillip Mellon Senior, who saw the “red mist” when confronted with his son’s injuries.

Mellon Junior, of Heath Road, Holmewood, was jailed for 12 months this week by Judge Nirmal Shant QC this week.

He admitted affray, assault by beating and resisting a police officer.

Mellon Junior’s barrister said the father-of-three had a history of drug and alcohol misuse.

However the “catalyst” for the violent incident was the breakdown of his relationship with his partner of 14 years.

Derby Crown Court heard how as the pair returned to the pub Mellon Senior, 52, picked up a chair and hurled it at a man who had delivered blows to his son earlier the same evening.

While the same man was struck with “what he believed was a baseball bat” to his lower back.

CCTV footage taken from inside the pub showed pub-goers looking on, attempting to avoid the chaos as the group of men traded blows.

However, neither defendant was aware that police were upstairs reviewing CCTV footage from the earlier fight as hell broke loose downstairs.

CCTV footage showed police running into the lounge to restrain a “compliant” Mellon senior and a “not so compliant” Mellon Junior.

Prosecutor Nicola Patten told Derby Crown Court during an earlier hearing how Mellon Junior complained of a broken wrist and was “taken to the floor” when he became aggressive with officers outside.

Ms Patten said both father and son had previous offences - Mellon Senior had four convictions including a 1998 ABH charge while Mellon Junior had three convictions including a “serious” violence offence when he was aged 18.

Gareth Gimson, defending Mellon Senior, said his client had not been in trouble for 27 years but had seen “red mist” after seeing his son “on the wrong end of a serious assault”.

Mellon Senior, of Church Street, Calow, admitted affray and common assault. He was jailed for eight months suspended for two years in March.

The 52-year-old was also handed 10 rehabilitation activity days and 50 hours unpaid work.

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