Two Nigerian students – Elvis Ilonze 20, and Daniel Oluyemi, 24 – were lucky to escape prison in the UK after beating up a fellow Nigerian student, Prince Nnaji.
Ilonze is a Masters of Engineering student at the University of Sussex, while Oluyemi is studying accounting.
Ilonze and Nnaji were arguing in their Brighton, East Sussex flat over who had the richer father when it degenerated into a scuffle.
Oluyemi then joined Ilonze to beat up Nnaji with a shisha pipe, while the victim tried to escape from the flat.
Nnaji’s girlfriend, Louanna Rayawa was pushed to the ground as she tried to break up the fight, and a law student sitting by, 23-year-old Chiedozie Dibiagwu, was also assaulted.
When Ilonze and Oluyemi were charged to court, they pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.
The judge, Christine Laing QC, handed the pair a one-year jail term suspended for 18 months.
Reading the sentence, the judge said, “Unlike many of the people who pass through the courts , you both come from backgrounds of privilege.
“It couldn’t be more childish, effectively an insult on somebody’s parents – who’s got the richer dad – that started this fight.
“You both appear to be incredibly immature, perhaps as a result of being cosseted in your upbringing.”