A TRIO who pulled over a taxi to defend women's honour have been given community service after breaking out in to a fight in Bewdley.

Timothy Bramford, Dale Jones, and Shane Smith had been on a night out when the fight, which was captured on CCTV, broke out after they jumped out of a taxi on their way home on April 6.

Mark Soper, prosecuting, said the three fought another male before they went their separate ways with no witnesses to the incident.

In mitigation, John Rogers, who represented the three defendants, said the fighting was a mistake but the intentions were good in the first instance.

He said: "The three of them had been out on Bewdley and had phone for a taxi. The taxi did a u-turn and they saw a male. This male was violently arguing with a couple of girls and the three of them, rather gentlemanly some would say, went over and told him to go home."

It was then things got more violent as Jones told the male to "go away" before having to be held back by Smith, and Bramford getting involved by also telling the male to "walk away".

"Punches were then thrown," Mr Rogers said.

Jones was knocked unconscious and had to be taken to hospital, but according to he prosecution there was no evidence of injuries to any of the men and the fourth male did not want to co-operate with the police enquiries.

Bramford, 35, and Smith, 27, both of Walter Nash Road West, Kidderminster, and Jones, 21, of Pendine Close, Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to affray when they appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, July 2.

Bramford also pleaded guilty to possessing a small amount of cannabis on the same date of the incident which he said was for personal use.

Chairman of the magistrates Steven Callanan sentenced Bramford and Jones to a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.

Bramford was fined £50 for possessing the class b drug.

Smith, who was given a suspended prison sentence with a community order with 240 unpaid work on May 8 for another offence, was given a 12-month community order with 60 hours unpaid work, bringing the total number of hours to the maximum a man can be sentenced to, and a two-month curfew between the hours of 10pm and 6am to be electronically monitored.

All three of the men were ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £50 in court costs each.