Five men who took part in two separate fights over the weekend were sentenced in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Rayan Terceira, 20, and Matthew Davis, 25, admitted to taking part in a fight in the early hours of Saturday morning while on Front Street. They were both fined $1,500.

At 3.50 a.m. officers on patrol were alerted to the fight by a member of the public.

The court heard that the two friends, Terceira, of Devonshire, and Davis, of Hamilton Parish, were out drinking when a dispute turned violent and they were found fighting in the road, covered in blood, and needed to be pulled off each other.

Both men were taken to Hamilton Police Station where they were searched, processed and detained. Terceira told Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner: "It was a dispute that got the best of us. We both had too much to drink. I would just like to apologise, I know violence is on the rise and it is unacceptable."

In the early hours of Monday morning Police attended another fight between three young men at Ice Queen, in Paget. Jason Davis, 24, of Warwick, Joshua Place, 23, of Pembroke, and Jabriko Allen, 18, of Devonshire, admitted to fighting, over an alleged gold chain.

Mark Marsh, of Middletown Road in Pembroke, was also charged with the offence, but denies that he took part.

He will face trial on August 24 and was released on bail of $2,000 with one surety. The court heard the young men were seen punching and kicking each other in the restaurant parking lot at 3.15 a.m.

Police stepped in and separated the defendants, but the brawl continued and Captor spray was used to restrain them. Davis told Mr. Warner: "I don't get into fights. I am a college student. It was the alcohol, I was under the influence. It was a mistake," he added.

According to his testimony he was just eating food when a fight broke between one of his friends. He tried to break it up when a punch was thrown at him and he 'reacted'.

Mr. Warner said: "This is the second time today that friends go out drinking and end up trying to kill each other".

He gave all three young men a conditional discharge; on the basis that they keep themselves out of trouble for one year.