'Glassing' case hears plea for use of plastic in Plymouth

[WtD_Oracle]

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Gl ... ticle.html

BARS throughout Plymouth should consider using polycarbonate glasses instead of glass, a barrister has told a jury.

Kelly Scrivener held up a plastic glass used in Plymouth Crown Court and said: "It is a shame that bars throughout the city don't use plastic."

Miss Scrivener was speaking during the trial of a man accused of 'glassing' two staff members at a city club, and said injuries caused by glass attacks were all too common.

Nigerian Yemi Alao, 24, of Wolsdon Street, Plymouth, had pleaded not guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm against door supervisor Pavel Kisel and Cuba club manager Peter Chevin.

Miss Scrivener told the court that on the evening of September 24, 2008, Alao went out with friends and ended up in Cuba on North Hill. Around 4am next day, he was involved in a fight with another man in which he was bitten on the forehead and the chest.

Mr Kisel tried to pull the two men apart but received three facial cuts from a wine glass Alao was holding, one narrowly missing his eye, while Mr Chevin received two small cuts on his forearm when he tried to take the glass from Alao.

The prosecution claimed Alao either cut the men deliberately or knew he had a broken glass in his hand but still thrashed around recklessly.

Mr Kisel told the court the injuries to him could have been an accident, but said Alao clearly meant to carry on with the fight and wanted to get rid of anyone standing in his way.

Mr Chevin said Alao had lashed out with the glass in his hand and caught Mr Kisel after being told to release it.

Doorman Lee McNair said Alao seemed to be the more aggressive of the two men.

Giving evidence, Alao said the other man, who had been aggressive to him before, had barged into him on the club stairs but not apologised.

He confronted the man and this led to a scuffle in which both fell through a fire exit into the street. He did not realise he had accidentally injured the bar staff, but later apologised.

Defence barrister Rupert Taylor said the incident was "a tragic accident", with Mr Kisel and Mr Chevin being "caught in the crossfire".

The jury is expected to go out to consider its verdict today.

[WtD_Oracle]

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Ma ... ticle.html

A MAN has been given jail sentences for "glassing" two staff members at a Plymouth club.

Nigerian Yemi Alao, 24, of Wolsdon Street, was yesterday sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court to two concurrent 12-month stretches in prison after a jury found him guilty of two offences of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Alao — who is already serving a 17-month sentence in Dartmoor Prison for a conspiracy to defraud offence — had pleaded not guilty to the assault which harmed door supervisor Pavel Kisel and Cuba club manager Peter Chevin.

The court was told during the trial that on the evening of September 24, 2008, Alao went out with friends and ended up in Cuba on North Hill.

At about 4am the next day, he was involved in a fight with another man in which he was bitten on the forehead and the chest, the court was told.

The trial had also been told how Mr Kisel tried to pull the two men apart but received three facial cuts from a wine glass Alao was holding — one narrowly missing his eye — while Mr Chevin received two small cuts on his forearm when he tried to take the glass from Alao.

Yesterday, Recorder Michael Parroy QC, jailing Alao for 12 months for each offence to run concurrently, said that Mr Kisel had been "extremely lucky" in relation to his injuries.

"It is a thousand mercies that you did not take out his eye."

Mr Parroy said he accepted that Alao had not deliberately tried to cause harm — but he did label the fighting as "serious".

The jury took about an hour to return the guilty verdict. Alao was immediately led off to prison.

During the trial this week, the prosecution claimed Alao either cut the men deliberately or knew he had a broken glass in his hand but still thrashed around recklessly.

Mr Kisel had told the court his injuries could have been an accident — but he had said Alao clearly meant to carry on with the fight and wanted to get rid of anyone standing in his way.

Mr Chevin had said Alao had lashed out with the glass in his hand and caught Mr Kisel after being told to release it. Doorman Lee McNair had also said Alao seemed to be the more aggressive of the two men.

Giving evidence this week, Alao said the other man, who had been aggressive to him before, had barged into him on the club stairs but not apologised.

The court had been told that Alao confronted the man and that led to a scuffle in which both fell through a fire exit into the street. He did not realise he had accidentally injured the bar staff, the court was told — but later apologised.