A MAN from Radcliffe has been jailed for his part in a large fight which saw a man shot in the leg.

At Bolton Crown Court today, Michael Berkley, aged 34, of The Parklands, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Ammar Akbar, 37, of Castle Street, Bolton was also sentenced to 26 months in prison for his part in the fight.

On May 20 police were called to Castle Street, in Bolton, to reports that a large group of men armed with weapons were fighting with each other.

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.

Later that night the man admitted himself to hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. A bullet was removed and he has since recovered from his injuries.

Further enquiries 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.

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.”