TWO Iranian men who badly injured each other in a drunken street fight have been given suspended prison sentences.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Abolfazi Pirzabh and Hussain Ghalandari ended up with cuts and were badly bleeding following the brawl in Winchester Way, Breightmet.

Each had claimed they were victims of the other man.

Judge Graeme Smith was told that each man had traumatic experience in their home country which has left them suffering from mental health problems.

But he warned them that they cannot continue to rely on such mitigation if they appear in court again.

He told them: “Both of you have suffered significant difficulties in your earlier life in Iran. They do represent mitigation but they will not indefinitely enable you to rely on them when you are faced with court appearances for offending.

“You need to be able to deal with the past and move beyond that.”

Maria Brannan, prosecuting, told the court how Pirzabh, of Wellington Street West, Salford, had visited Ghalandari’s Winchester Way, Bolton, home on April 12, 2018.

“By 11.30pm the men had consumed a large amount of alcohol and an argument broke out between the two defendants,” she said.

The row broke out and spilled into the street where a neighbour’s CCTV captured them squaring up to each other and throwing punches.

“The statements of others present give conflicting accounts of who started the fight,” said Miss Brannan.

“People tried to break up the fight without success. Mr Ghalandari removed his shirt and the fighting continued, punching and shoving, into the road.”

Police and paramedics were called and found Ghalandari sat on his doorstep covered in blood. Pirzabh was found a short distance down the road, also bleeding heavily.

Pirzabh, aged 38, and Ghalandari, 39, both pleaded guilty to affray, insisting that no knives or other weapons had been used in the altercation.

Richard Brigden, defending Pirzabh, who has previous convictions for offences including drug dealing, stressed that he had suffered tragedies in Iran and continues to be treated for PTSD.

Nicholas Ross, defending Ghalandari, who also has previous convictions, said he had suffered in Iran, with his mother dying when he was aged nine.

He stressed that the fighting with Pirzabh had not been premeditated and he fears going to a British prison.

Judge Smith sentenced Pirzabh to to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months and ordered him to do 120 hours of unpaid work plus 20 days of rehabilitation activities.

Ghalandari, was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison, suspended for two years and ordered to undertake up to 35 days of rehabilitation activities and a behaviour programme.