Maybole twins cause street rammy

Oct 7 2011 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

TWIN brothers caused mayhem in their street when they started knocking lumps out of each other.

But Greg and Dean Lawrie became brothers in arms when police turned up to break up the rammy.

They united and turned their attention on the officers trying to restore law and order.

The 22-year-olds will have plenty of time to consider their idiotic antics – they’ve both been jailed.

Ayr Sheriff Court heard this week that several members of the public phoned police to tell them about the Lawrie brothers’ battle.

Depute fiscal Claire Smith explained to Sheriff Jack McGowan that the chaos unfolded at around 7.30pm on August 5 this year.

When officers arrived at the scene in Maybole’s Minnoch Crescent there were about 20 people in the street watching the fight.

They could see Greg standing at the house – bare chested – leaning over Dean raining blows on his head and body.

And Dean was punching upwards at his brother’s head.

Police called for back up before going going into the house. There they found the twins parents and two children watching what was going on.

One of the children was making an attempt to hold Dean back from Greg but the pair were still violently lashing out.

When one of the officers pulled Greg onto an armchair he jumped to his feet and rushed at him.

The officer tried several techniques to try and calm Greg down but they all failed.

Eventually he was left with no option but to draw his baton and use it on the thug.

At that point Dean got up and had a go at the officers, kicking out with his feet.

However, he was able to be overpowered and handcuffed quickly.

Both men were still shouting and swearing but had changed the focus of their aggression from each other to the officers.

Greg started struggling again and tried to break free to assist his twin. But he failed and both were taken to the police station.

At the court this week, they both pleaded guilty to causing a breach of the peace by fighting with each other and resisitng arrest.

Dean admitted assaulting a police officer.

Greg’s defence lawyer Peter Lockhart said that normally the men got on well but that they had been drinking heavily and an argument developed, resulting in the fight.

Robert Logan, defending Dean, added that they bear no malice toward each other.

Jaling them for 158 and150 days respectively, Sheriff McGowan told the twins their behaviour was “quite disgraceful.”