Four sailors from UK’s biggest warship arrested after ‘boozy brawl’ outside Glasgow bar
FOUR sailors from Britain’s biggest warship were arrested after an alleged boozy rammy outside a trendy nightspot.
Chester Crudge, 26, Christopher Parkinson, 25, Kyle Simpson, 20 and Lucas Cann, 19 were lifted by cops outside The Social in Glasgow city centre on Tuesday night.
The seamen were on a night off from flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth - capable of carrying 40 fighter jets - after it docked near Faslane, Argyll, on Sunday.
They were all kept in custody overnight before being freed at Glasgow Sheriff Court into military custody.
It’s thought one has been sent immediately to ‘The Glasshouse’ military prison in Colchester, Essex while the others will be kept in custody on the ship meantime.
A source said: “The matter will be treated seriously by military bosses.”
Dozens of police officers raced to the scene after the Navy men allegedly began scrapping in the street and the panic alarm was pressed by the first cops on the scene to scramble all officers in the area.
The four men were all taken to separate police vans where one could be overheard to say ‘I’m off the QE at Faslane.’
The four were expected to appear in front of a sheriff but were given a fiscal’s liberation without appearing in the dock.
A warrant officer from the ship attended court on Wednesday and led the four forlorn-looking seamen out of the front door after their night in the cells.
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A source added: “Civilian justice trumps military proceedings but the view was taken that they are in enough trouble with the Navy without going through a regular court process.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers received report of a disturbance at Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow around 10.55pm on Tuesday, 15 March.
“Four men, aged 26, 25, 20 and 19, have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. Two women were also issued with fixed penalty notices.
“The four men are due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court today (Wednesday, 16 March).”
A Royal Navy spokesperson said:“We can confirm that four members of the Royal Navy will appear in court on 16 Mar 22 following an alleged incident in Glasgow.
“While legal proceedings are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further. All further enquiries should be directed to the local authorities.”
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The 65,000 tonne carrier is the biggest ever built for the Navy and is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft.
As well as state-of-the-art weaponry and communications systems, HMS Queen Elizabeth boasts five gyms, a chapel and a medical centre.
The flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth comes in at an enormous four acres and will be used to launch the fearsome new F35 Joint Strike Fighter fast jet.
The Royal Navy said her return to the west coast of Scotland was part of a routine logistics visit as she travels back to Portsmouth.
She berthed at Glen Mallan ammunitioning jetty in Loch Long, which has recently been upgraded.
Captain Ian Feasey said on Sunday: “It is fantastic for the fleet flagship to be back in this spectacular region to make use of this upgraded facility supporting our role as the United Kingdom’s strike carrier.
“The ship’s drumbeat of visits here over the coming years will punctuate the strong affiliation that we have with Scotland.”
Construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth began in 2009 with six shipyards around the UK involved in building different sections of the ship, which were then transported to Rosyth dockyard where they were assembled.
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The Queen officially named the carrier in July 2014, with the vessel leaving dry dock a few days later.
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