Several members of an Ipswich gang have been sentenced to jail for a total of 19 years.

Before Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday, April 18 were: Gerson Assuncao, 22, of Burrell Road, Ipswich; Matas Vaitekunas, 20, of Victoria Street, Ipswich; Bobby Walters, 26, of Victoria Street, Ipswich; Michael Crumlish, 27, of Southgreen Gardens, Clacton-on-Sea; Ethan Smith, 22, of Cardiff Avenue, Ipswich.

For the first time, three 17 year olds involved in the case can be named, with Mekhi Ebanks, Daniel Kovalkov, and Laurynas Talacka also sentenced on Tuesday. 

The offences related to two violent incidents, public order offences, and drug dealing in the town.

On Friday, the court heard one member of the J Block, gang stabbed a member of a rival gang in the back outside the Cock and Pye pub in Upper Brook Street in June last year, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The victim was taken to hospital with injuries including a punctured lung which were initially considered to be life threatening but the following day he had discharged himself from hospital against medical advice and refused to co-operate with the police investigation, said Duncan O’Donnell, prosecuting.

A few weeks later on August 15 last year there was another violent incident at Maple Park near Victoria Street in Ipswich.