TWO bouncers who lost their jobs for assaulting a man who was trying to get back into a Leamington night club after having been ejected have both been ordered to do unpaid work.
Conor Bush pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to assaulting their victim, while fellow doorman Ian Shields denied that charge but admitted an alternative offence of common assault.
They were given 12-month community orders, with 21 year-old Bush, of Oval Road, Erdington, Birmingham, being told to do 75 hours of unpaid work, and 40 year-old Shields of Old Hall Close, Stourbridge, to do 50 hours.
Prosecutor Sarah Allen said in April last year the two men were working on the door at Smack night club in Leamington town centre.
Their ultimate victim Louis Sutton and a friend were ejected at about 1am following an argument on the dancefloor which had led to ‘some unpleasant words’ being exchanged.
Mr Sutton and his friend walked round the town trying to get into other bars, without success, and then returned to try to get back into Smack.
But rather than going to the entrance, they were round the side of the premises to a point outside the smoking area where they tried to attract the attention of a friend to let them in.
The door staff were alerted to what was going on, and Bush and Shields went round to speak to them, telling them to leave the area.
Mr Sutton and his friend ‘took umbrage’ and begin recording what was going on on their phones.
Shields then took hold of Mr Sutton, who had been sitting on a wall, and a passing street warden described seeing Shields pull his arm back and punch Mr Smith to the face.
Mr Sutton was then pushed away, but was still agitated and ‘dancing around,’ goading Shields.
Bush, who had been holding the other man, then stepped forward with his fists clenched and punched Mr Sutton to the face.
The blow landed with such force that Mr Sutton was knocked onto the bonnet of a taxi, bounced off it and landed in the road.
Miss Allen pointed out Bush had entered his plea on the basis that he had landed a single blow after losing his cool as a result of feeling provoked by the victim’s behaviour.
She said Mr Sutton, who suffered bruising around his eye, a haemorrhage to the white of his eye and a small cut to the inside of his mouth, had applied for compensation – but that was rejected by Recorder Anthony Potter.
Gurdeep Singh Garcha, for Shields, said: “Of course, in the end Louis Sutton is the victim in this case, but we ask the court to have regard to his behaviour that evening.
“These two defendants were exercising their lawful function up until that point when the red mist descended.
Sean Logan, for Bush, said there was a very good pre-sentence report on him, he had never been in trouble before, and is part-way through the process of joining the Army.
