'Drag queens' tell of felling thugs in Swansea city centre punch-up

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Thursday, October 08, 2009
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This is SouthWales

IT was just a normal Saturday, but images of that August night on Swansea's Kingsway have since become an internet sensation.

The pictures captured by CCTV over the bank holiday weekend show two drunken yobs brawling on the street — until they made the mistake of confronting a pair of cross-dressing party-goers.

The images, which have been viewed all over the world, show unemployed thugs Dean Gardner, aged 19, and Jason Fender, aged 22, getting the surprise of their lives, because the people they confronted turned out to be part of a group of cross-dressing cage-fighters, whose response to the unprovoked attack was to leave them both sprawling on the floor.

The pair, both of Llanerch Road, Bonymaen, appeared before city magistrates this week, where they pleaded guilty to using threatening words and behaviour, and were ordered to be tagged and remain under a night house curfew for the next four months.

Meanwhile, the story has hit the national headlines — and now the men who stopped the mindless thuggery in its tracks can be revealed.

Daniel Lerwell and James Lilley are both cage-fighters, and train at the Team Predator gym in Fforestfach.

The night they were unwittingly captured on camera they had headed out for a night on the town with around 10 of their fighting colleagues.

Below: See the video everyone is talking about

James Lilley, aged 22, also of Mount Pleasant, said: "It's just a shame that people like that spoil things for everyone.

"A few of the boys were going out for a night and just thought we would do something different which was why were in drag.

"We were due to knuckle down to training because we had a fight coming up in six weeks, and it was the last chance for a blow-out.

"The first I knew was when this boy started shouting something at me and then came up to me.

"But in a way it was lucky it was us he started on us — who knows what they would have done if they had started on someone else?"

Pal Daniel Lerwell, aged 23, also of Mount Pleasant, said: "I always buy the Evening Post, and I saw the story on the front page in the morning, but I didn't realise it was me at first.

"My phone hasn't stopped ringing since.

" I think there were about 10 of us in all, and we were all in drag.

"I saw these boys go up to James and start calling him names, and then he was hit. I was shocked at first, and thought who are these pansies? But I wasn't really thinking, it was just instinct really."

Moments before the confrontation, Gardner and Fender, both of Llanerch Road, Bonymaen, had been involved in a scuffle with another club-goer, who was dressed as superhero Spiderman.

Defending them at Swansea Magistrates' Court, Mark Davies said: "You know it cannot have been a good night when you get into a fight with Spiderman and two cross-dressing men.

"Gardner thought it was a dream until he saw the video and could not believe it. You could not make this up."

Related articles:

'Drag Queen' floors thugs in Swansea street fight

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51 Comments

  • Profile image for This is SouthWales

    by Windu, Swansea

    Saturday, October 10 2009, 9:54PM

    “I think well done to James & Daniel for also not going overboard and knowing when to stop. Just one thing i'm interested in tho. I can't seem to find Gardner's & Fender's explanation of what happened apart from the beer to make them start fighting in the first place. From the video we can only see them already fighting at the night club, what happened before that? I think the interviews etc are all one sided and evening post should interview Gardner & Fender.”

  • Profile image for This is SouthWales

    by william, swansea

    Saturday, October 10 2009, 3:03PM

    “Parry you wernt in jail with this daniel hes never been to jail .He has no criminal record and has never been in trouble before. So get your facts right you little muppet mush head
    Billy Lerwell”

  • Profile image for This is SouthWales

    by Cliff, Swansea (US currently)

    Saturday, October 10 2009, 1:13PM

    “I am a Swansea person living in the USA.
    I was delighted to see these shameful mindless idiots given the kind of response they deserve. However they should be now punished by the law and if on benefits have there money stopped and made to sweep the Kingsway every week end dressed as dunces.
    They are the street scum that make people like me ashamed to be British.

    The collateral damage they do to others hasn't been noted but if someone physically barged my daughter like the skinny idiot before getting thumped then I would have definitely responded similarly to the cage fighters. That girl could have been seriously injured.

    The fat guy in the T shirts is clearly a deranged, psychopath who needs to be taken off the streets and disposed of.

    He was so excited to be hurting others ¿ just useless scum that society should punish and then isolate before they propagate genes with some female scummy lowlife like them and start the cycle again just like their parent s have.

    THe whole family should be tagged and maybe they would sort out this rubbish they spawned for the rest of us to suffer from”

  • Profile image for This is SouthWales

    by Tony Thomas, Swansea

    Friday, October 09 2009, 3:40PM

    “If these two "tough guys" (Gardner and Fender) want to fight so much send them out to Afghanistan where they`ll be up against people don`t mess around. The law in this country is way too soft on these small time thugs.”

  • Profile image for This is SouthWales

    by alright butt or wha like?, Bonymyend

    Friday, October 09 2009, 10:44AM

    “alright butts sapnin en? these two took a hell of a beatin, a hell of a beatin, boys on the dole can you hear me? roiders sellin weed can u hear me? you boys took a hell of a beating.

    Bonymaen - Land of ex and future cons.

    INVESTING IN PEOPLE.”

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