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Pete Bevington
9 May, 2008
A NIGHTCLUB bouncer accused of beating up a drunken punter was found
not guilty after a trial at Lerwick Sheriff Court yesterday
(Thursday).
Brian Smith, aged 44, of Sycamore Avenue, Scalloway, denied he had
kneed and punched Christopher Boston to his injury outside Posers
Nightclub, on Quendale Lane, Lerwick, on 1 September last year.
The 32 year old single parent had been out drinking all night with
his 24 year old friend Alexander Noble, ending up at Posers after
frequenting four other bars.
The court heard that Mr Smith ejected Mr Noble from the club, and Mr
Boston remonstrated with the bouncer outside the premises. But after
that the evidence disintegrated into confusion, with all four
witnesses giving different versions of events.
Mr Noble claimed Mr Smith had tried to manhandle him out of the club
for no good reason and gone berserk when Mr Boston tried to
intervene.
He said the bouncer grabbed his friend by the |
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throat with both hands,
banged his head against a wall, punched and then kneed him in the
head.
Mr Boston admitted in court that he had been too drunk at the time
to identify Mr Smith as the man who had attacked him in court, even
though he gave a statement to police identifying the bouncer.
Door steward Michael Black, aged 49, told the court no punches had
been thrown but both Mr Noble and Mr Boston had to be wrestled to
the ground to stop them from barging back into the club.
And his colleague 29 year old Ryan Laurenson could not recall anyone
being forced to the ground, saying there had been “a slight
struggle” between Mr Smith and Mr Boston.
Sheriff Graeme Napier said he had no hesitation in finding Mr Smith
not guilty of assault.
But he threatened to convict Mr Noble for contempt of court for
claiming he was “completely sober” before admitting to having been
drinking beer and rum and coke throughout the evening.
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