A bouncer at a city centre club put a partygoer in a headlock and broke his jaw after he was hit by a dropped glowstick.
David Young was on shift at Modo in Concert Square on November 16, 2019, when he launched the brutal assault on Ratislav Marton.
Mr Marton had been “causing no trouble” at the bar on a busy Saturday night when Young “lost control of himself” and battered the partygoer before dragging him out.
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Despite this, Young walked free from Liverpool Crown Court today after a ruling that his health issues and the amount of time the case had remained in the legal system meant his jail term should be suspended.
Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said Mr Marton and his brother Matus had both gone to the club at around 11.30pm but had become separated once inside.
Ratislaw was alone on the club’s dancefloor when he found a glowstick and started waving it around.
He then dropped it and it bounced off a table before hitting Young.
CCTV played in court showed the now 33 year old approaching Mr Marton and speaking to him briefly before slapping him multiple times.
Mr Dillon said: “[Mr Marton] asked what the big deal was.
“The doorman then told him to 'get the f**k out.'
“He then started to slap him to the face.”
Young then continued to hit Mr Marton as another member of staff, who apparently thought Mr Marton was the cause of the trouble, held him down.
Despite Mr Marton making clear that he would leave the club, he was then put in a headlock and punched multiple times, causing his jaw to break.
Mr Marton’s brother, Matus, then saw his brother being dragged out the club and went over to assist him.
At this point, Young also assaulted him on the stairs as he ejected both men from the premises.
A complaint to police saw them visit Modo and request to see the video footage, resulting in Young being charged with wounding Ratislaw Marton and assaulting Matus Marton.
Mr Marton required hospital treatment for his broken jaw and said the attack had caused him to lose money due to not being able to work.
The court heard Young lost his job and his licence to work as a security guard after the incident.
Paul Woods, defending, said there was no defence for the attack itself, particularly given Young’s role.
He said: “The footage is quite disgraceful when you consider this is someone who is supposed to be there to protect the public.”
However, he appealed to Judge Robert Trevor-Jones to suspend Young’s sentence, saying the long period that had passed since the assault took place had “been a punishment in and of itself”.
Mr Woods also pointed to Young’s serious health conditions which severely limited his mobility, left him in pain and caused him to walk with a limp.
Judge Trevor-Jones said Mr Marton had done nothing to provoke Young’s attack.
He said: “Your job in those premises was to monitor the situation and, if there was violence or disorder, to deal with it in a lawful way.
“Instead, on this night, Ratislav Marton was dancing on his own, minding his own business and being no trouble whatsoever you.
“The spark seems to have been a light stick and you progressively lost control of yourself.”
He added: “Even though he was indicating that he was ready to withdraw and leave the premises you kept on hitting him in the face.”
However, despite the seriousness of the assault, he said the amount of time that had passed since the offence took place more than two years ago and Young pleaded guilty to wounding meant he could suspend his prison sentence."
Young, of Onslow Road, was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
He also faces a six month curfew and must take part in rehabilitation activities.
In a statement to the ECHO, a Modo spokeswoman said the club was "extremely sorry" that the assault occurred.
She said: "We are extremely sorry that this incident took place, Mr Young was not a direct employee of ours but was enrolled on behalf of our third-party security company.
"We never condone violence and always want to ensure the safety of our team and guests are a priority.
"Mr Young was removed from the venue at the time and was dismissed by his employer also. We constantly review our security team and processes to ensure we have the right people on site."
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