Two in hospital after fights

Both men taken to hospital were aged 20 and from Brighton

A fight between several men in Brighton in the early hours of the morning left two of them in hospital.

One of the men had his jaw broken in at least six places and the other suffered a punctured lung.

A friend of theirs sustained suspected fractured ribs, cuts and black eyes after chasing after their attackers.

Police think the fight was linked to another altercation, involving a larger group of people, about 40 minutes earlier.

Broken bottles

Detectives said the first fight took place about 0150 BST on Friday on the Old Steine park area across the road from the Royal Albion Hotel.

The later fight happened at about 0230 BST in St James Street.

A group of three men and a woman were walking along the road after visiting a burger bar and a late-night off licence.

Police said they were attacked by three other men near Boots, possibly armed with broken bottles.

Both the men hospitalised are said by police to be 20-year-olds from Brighton.

The man who suffered multiple breaks to his jaw also lost blood from an severed artery, possibly cut by a bottle, police said.

Increased police patrols

He is described as being in a serious but not life-threatening condition.

He and the man with the punctured lung were both still in the Royal Sussex County Hospital on Friday afternoon.

The third man was injured after chasing the three attackers up St James Street and across Dorset Gardens.

The woman they were with, a 21-year-old from Peacehaven, was unhurt.

Police has released a description of one of the attackers, saying he was 6 ft 3 ins to 6 ft 4 ins tall, slim and aged between 20 and 25.

They think he and his two accomplices may have been injured or cut during the fight.

Police said they had increased patrols in St James Street in an attempt to reassure residents and local business owners, with both uniformed and plain clothes officers on duty in the area.

They said the area was busy with people making their way home after a night out and believed someone must have seen what happened.