Biker jailed over airport brawl

Mark Larner changed his mind about evading custody, the court heard

A Hells Angel who fled to South Africa after being convicted of taking part in a riot at Birmingham airport has been jailed for six years.

Mark Larner, 47, formerly of Upper Gornal, near Dudley, was found guilty of rioting in May, but fled while on bail before being sentenced.

Judge Patrick Thomas told Birmingham Crown Court he may have received a lesser sentence if he had not fled.

Seven rival gang members were sentenced in June for six years each for rioting.

Three other Hells Angel gang members and four members of the Outlaws were convicted over the brawl at the airport in January 2008.

Larner appeared in court after he voluntarily surrendered to police at Bristol earlier this month.

He quickly realised that he could not properly sustain a life on the run Toby Coupe Larner's counsel

Judge Thomas also ordered him to serve a consecutive three-month sentence for breaching his bail.

Larner's counsel Toby Coupe told the judge the biker had flown to Frankfurt from Namibia and then caught a train to London.

Larner, who was not picked up by authorities who scanned his passport, had then rented a property in Bristol for two months.

Mr Coupe told the hearing: "He did go to South Africa with the intention of evading custody, but having got to South Africa he quickly realised that he could not properly sustain a life on the run, so he decided to come back."

The court was also told Larner had experienced serious health problems, but the judge said the court could not condone his decision to abscond.

Birmingham Crown Court heard in May that members of the Hells Angels and Outlaw biker groups clashed in a passenger terminal at the airport, some wielding knuckledusters and hammers.