A bouncer launched an unprovoked attack on an intoxicated customer, grabbing him by the neck and swinging him around before throwing him to the ground. Sam Skinner had been removing the man from the club when he attacked him, leaving his victim - a teacher - unconscious on the pavement outside the venue.
A judge told the door supervisor it had been his responsibility to ensure the safety of customers but he had done the exact opposite. The judge also raised concerns about the lack of co-operation the police investigating the incident had received from the club, and he asked the matter be raised with the relevant licencing authorities.
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Swansea Crown Court heard the assault happened at the Eddie Rocks club in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on September 5 last year. Skinner, who had been a bouncer for some eight years, was tasked with removing a customer from the venue. He escorted the man - who was unsteady on his feet - down the stairs of the club before grabbing him around the neck, swinging him around, and throwing him to the floor. The man struck his head on the ground and lost consciousness.
Tom Scapens, for the prosecution, read out a number of statements from the victim in which he outlined the impact the assault had had on him, including having to take two weeks off work, suffering headaches and pain, and experiencing feelings of anxiety and a reluctance to go out.
Sam Skinner, aged 39, of Charles Street, Neyland, Pembrokeshire, had denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm claiming he was acting in self-defence but was convicted at a two-day trial last month. The defendant returned to the dock on July 14 to be sentenced. He has no previous convictions. You can read more stories about Pembrokeshire here.
Jon Tarrant, for Skinner, said his client had lost his job as a result of the incident - a career he had been hoping to progress into a managerial role with - and was now seeking alternative employment to support his family. He said in the eight years Skinner had worked as a door supervisor there had been no complaints to reprimands in regard to his work, and he described the events of September 5 as an "isolated incident". The advocate said the context of the incident had been his client carrying out his responsibilities at the club by removing a customer who had been causing perhaps a degree of disruption, and that by its verdict the jury had found that he had "exceeded those responsibilities".
Recorder Christopher Felstead said the victim had been willingly trying to leaving the club when the defendant chose to launch an "unprovoked" assault on him by "swinging him around, picking him up off the ground by the neck in a form of choke hold or strangulation, and throwing him to the ground" where he hit his head and lost consciousness. He told Skinner that as a member of door staff it had been his responsibility to look after the safety of customers and to treat them with respect but that he had failed in that duty and in fact done the opposite. The recorder said it was concerning that in his pre-sentence report Skinner had shown a lack of remorse for what he had done, and continued to believe he had not committed an offence - he told the defendant: "Let me be clear, you did".
Recorder Felstead said the offence was so serious only a custodial sentence was appropriate but that he was persuaded it was a case where there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and the term need not be served immediately. Skinner was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months, and must complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community.
The recorder said he was "troubled" by the lack of assistance police had received from the club in investigating the incident, and the fact none of the other members of door staff working that night could be identified let alone interviewed. He asked the prosecution to raise his concerns with the relevant licencing authorities.
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