THE 'battle of Chiswick roundabout', a violent road-rage incident which caused traffic chaos, landed four young men in a Crown Court dock and threatened two of them with jail sentences, ended with hefty fines and dire warnings.

When a four-day trial at Isleworth Crown Court ended last month, the judge, Recorder Andrew Campbell-Teich QC, told the pair found guilty of starting it all that he was going to send them straight to prison "for this appaling piece of violence". But he was persuaded to remand them for reports.

On Friday he fined them and ordered them to pay costs having decided "Despite the evidence you gave, despite the way your defence was run blaming the others , despite the risk you posed to your two co-defendants, I can spare you a prison sentence".

In the dock, apparently quaking with fear of going inside, were newlywed Manmeet Hanspal, 30, of Hibernia Gdns, Hounslow, and Gavinder Singh, 23, of Chatsworth Cres, Hounslow, who were both earlier found guilty of affray, using or threatening violence, during the incident on June 21 last year.

Those acquitted of the same charge relating to the same incident, were Nasir Abdi, 25, of Philpot Square, Fulham, and Moumin Samater, 26, of Gloucester Rd, Hounslow.

Prosecutor Mark Stern told the trial: "Events appear to have started as an incident of road-rage where each party accused the other of cutting them up. Police appeared on the scene at about 11.10 pm to find a group of males fighting in the middle of the road. They were using belts and other items as weapons and they brought the traffic to a standstill.

"As officers approached them they ran off down Chiswick High Road, chased by the officers who, when the men turned on them, used CS gas," said counsel.

There was a general melee in which some of the men jumped over barriers in an attempt to escape and eventually the four were arrested.

Hanspal had been driving his wife's car with Singh as a passenger and the other two were in another car. Both accused the other of cutting them up and of starting the trouble.

After hearing all the evidence including that of an independent witness, the jury decided that Hanspal and Singh started it all and were the guilty party. The judge was unimpressed with their defence of blaming the others.

"What would have been the consequence of that defence being successful in the absence of an independent witness?" he asked.

After considering reports and listening to lengthy mitigation from his counsel, Satnam Bains, he told Hanspal "You are 30 years old and I do not understand how someone with your history could behave in the way you did".

He decided that Singh, whose counsel Michael Ivers said he accepted his wrong-doing, must have been influenced by the older man who was the driver.

Hanspal was fined £4,000 and Singh £2,500. Both were ordered to pay costs of £850 each and warned that if the money was not paid on time they could expect to go to prison.