Wisbech St Mary resident Lewis Rowbotham admits assaulting two brothers at King's Lynn riverbank

A 19-year-old admitted assaulting two younger boys during what his solicitor claimed was an organised fight in King's Lynn.

Lewis Rowbotham, 19, of High Road in Wisbech St Mary, appeared at King's Lynn Magistrates' Court on Thursday charged with two counts of assault by beating.

The offences, which Rowbotham pleaded guilty to, took place on June 26 last year - with both victims being brothers aged under 18 at the time.

Prosecutor Hannah Butler said the incidents took place at a Lynn riverbank, with Rowbotham arriving at the scene along with a group of around 14 boys.

She said a disagreement between the two groups led to Rowbotham first getting into a fight with the older of the two brothers. This involved Rowbotham striking a bottle against his head.

He proceeded to kick the victim and stamp on his chest. The victim later said he had received a text from Rowbotham which read similarly to: "I will be there at 6.30 p*ssy".

Prior to the incident, Rowbotham had reportedly taken his shirt off and shouted: "Come on then."

The older brother is believed to have tried to run to a nearby railway bridge upon seeing the group of boys approaching, but they caught up to him.

While he was still being kicked on the ground, he said he noticed his younger brother nearly being thrown into the river.

The brothers' dad arrived and was joined by other parents to help the victims.

The older brother then reported not being able to breathe very well, with paramedics putting a hard collar around his neck.

He later dropped out of college and said the ordeal had been a contributing factor, while the younger brother "passed out a few times" following the incident, according to Miss Butler.

In mitigation, Tiffany Meredith said Rowbotham attended the riverbank because of an "arranged fight between two groups of people".

She claimed that Rowbotham did not originally engage in an altercation with the younger brother because of his age, but did so after being struck by him.

Rowbotham was ordered to return to court on February 22 to be sentenced, with a pre-sentence report being carried out in the meantime.

He was released on unconditional bail, with the case adjourned.