A man was left with a bleed on the brain following an altercation with bouncers outside a Manchester city centre bar, a town hall meeting heard.
Police and paramedics were called to Manahatta, on Deansgate, at 11.13pm on Saturday (August 9).
Officers shared details of what they believe unfolded at a licensing hearing on Wednesday morning (August 13).
“A member of the public was refused entry and he walked away and returned,” PC Aftab Hussain told councillors. “On his return, he punched door staff, and then tries to punch a second door staff member.
“The second door staff [member] then punches him with such force he fell back and hit his head. He then approaches him and kicks him.
“The door staff and staff put him in the recovery position. He was taken to the hospital. He has sustained a bleed to the brain.”
PC Hussain said ‘door staff’ had been arrested and that a ‘live investigation’ is ongoing.
Earlier on Wednesday, a GMP spokesperson said they had identified another victim and witness and the hospitalised man ‘has improved’.
GMP applied to have Manahatta closed on an interim basis ‘to discuss what changes can be made to see how the premises can run more efficiently, and do more training on the use of force’.
PC Hussain said that decision was taken ‘having reviewed CCTV’ because he ‘could not see any reason why door staff approached him when they could have used the night net radio’.
The PC also revealed Manahatta’s ‘whole door staff team was changed on Friday’ following concerns about previous bouncers.
A solicitor representing Manahatta owners Arc Inspirations argued suspending the licence would be a step too far, saying ‘there’s nothing to suggest that until that gentleman came along this was not a significant good hospitality venue for Manchester’.
Patrick Whur added: “The gentleman who starts this instant never gets into the premises. His behaviour is outside. He is not a customer.
“He is very very quickly dealt with by door supervisors. My client could not have stopped the individual from behaving the way he did. They could not have stopped the door stuff using excessive force to stop the guy causing the disturbance.
“You can see everyone outside is enjoying themselves. They are being properly managed.
“It’s not proportional to suspend the licence due to the behaviour of someone not associated with the premises and the use of force.”
Mr Whur also pointed out Manahatta management put the injured man in the recovery position and called police and paramedics ‘immediately’.
Arran Perry, from FGH Security which employed the door staff in question, said the bouncers involved in the incident ‘have been with [the company] for a year’, and ‘worked across the city centre and have never had anything on their record’.
Mr Perry said FGH’s senior management would be at Manahatta to assist new door staff if it re-opened.
Manchester council’s licensing committee decided to allow Manahatta open for the time being, ahead of a full review of its licence scheduled in the coming weeks.
Chair Coun Paul Andrews said: “The panel has decided not to suspend the licence. What we have decided to do is to adopt paragraph 15 of Martin [Wolstencroft, CEO of Arc Inspiration’s] statement as interim measures to modify the licence. We welcome the fact that FGH will be in attendance.”
Source – Manchester Evening News
