West Midlands Police continue to hunt Ellen Sweeney who remains at large after husband and son were arrested and jailed over the 2023 Birmingham brawl
Laura Hill and Carl Jackson
11:36, 03 Feb 2026
Thomas Sweeney junior, Ellen Sweeney and Thomas Sweeney senior
A mother-of-12 remains at large following a massive brawl in Birmingham – despite her husband and teenage son being apprehended and imprisoned.
West Midlands Police are still pursuing Ellen Sweeney who played a significant role in chaotic scenes that unfolded in the Gay Village during July 2023.
The disturbance, which was recorded on high-definition CCTV cameras, was described as ‘one of the worst’ altercations to ever occur in the city centre by a judge.
Sweeney, alongside her spouse Thomas Sweeney senior and adolescent son Thomas Sweeney junior, appeared at initial proceedings at Birmingham Crown Court and admitted to violent disorder.
Via their legal representatives, they appealed for leniency and to remain on bail prior to sentencing so they could supposedly attend Thomas junior’s wedding, reports Birmingham Live.
However, in August 2024 they failed to appear in court and stayed at liberty a month afterwards when they received immediate custody sentences in their absence.
It was believed they had escaped back to Ireland but there were no developments regarding their location for almost a year.
This prompted Judge Dean Kershaw, who oversaw the proceedings, to demand explanations about efforts to locate them as he stated ‘the public are entitled to know’.
It was subsequently confirmed the authorities possessed several addresses for the family and were working to secure European arrest warrants.
Yet there were major developments in January. Thomas Sweeney junior, now 19, was detained by Cheshire Police in a vehicle on the M6. Several days afterwards, Thomas Sweeney senior, now 44, surrendered himself to authorities.
Thomas Sweeney senior and junior
Both men have subsequently been imprisoned and received additional custodial sentences for breaching bail conditions in 2024.
However, Ellen Sweeney, now 41, continues to evade capture.
West Midlands Police released a statement to Birmingham Live declaring: “A warrant is out for the arrest of Ellen Sweeney who is wanted for failing to appear at court following a sentence for a violent disorder.
“Enquiries continue and people who may know her whereabouts should ring us on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”
Ellen Sweeney had been central to the mayhem that erupted during the early hours of July 15, 2023, involving no fewer than seven of her family members.
Initially, it seemed she was attempting to shield a man being assaulted on the ground by her husband and son, before being pulled away and ending up sprawled across the carriageway.
Minutes later, she became embroiled in a heated exchange with a woman before striking her in the face and reportedly branding her a ‘whore’.
During the escalation of that confrontation, the female victim’s companion was slashed across the torso with a shard of glass by an assailant.
Ellen Sweeney was subsequently filmed throwing additional punches at another individual. Following the commencement of legal proceedings, she had served as the primary liaison for the family, who relocated from their Kitts Green Road address in Stechford to accommodation in Croydon, London.
Her final check-in occurred at Lavender Hill Police Station on August 13, 2024.
The three Sweeneys subsequently vanished entirely and failed to appear for their sentencing hearing on August 29 that year.
Legal representatives managed to reach Ellen Sweeney the day before, with her claiming they were visiting relatives in Scotland. However, examination of her mobile phone revealed the device was actually located in the Republic of Ireland.
A furious Judge Kershaw denounced them as ‘cowards’ whilst imprisoning them despite their absence.
During Thomas Sweeney junior’s re-sentencing last month, the judge informed the teenager that the family had thrown the leniency extended to them ‘completely in the face of the court’.
He received an additional two months for failing to surrender, added to the two years and four months already imposed for violent disorder.
During a separate hearing days later, the judge ordered Thomas Sweeney senior to be removed from the dock and taken to the cells for ‘shouting out ridiculous things’.
The father exploded with rage after his assertions that he fled Birmingham due to safety concerns were dismissed as ‘nonsense’. Thomas senior received an extra three months on top of the two years and ten months imposed for violent disorder.
Currently, Ellen Sweeney faces an immediate custodial sentence of one year and 11 months. She has yet to begin serving her term.