A THUG from Colchester has been spared jail after launching a punch at a nightclub bouncer.
Harry Salmon, 27, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court to admit a charge of causing grievous bodily harm after a night out at Trilogy nightclub in Colchester High Street.
Salmon was with a group of people on June 30 last year when he got into a fight with other clubbers and was thrown out of the bar.
The court was shown CCTV footage from inside the club, showing the escalation of the argument and Salmon being “ejected”.
Juliet Donovan, prosecuting, said when Salmon was thrown out, he took a swing at one of the door staff, hitting door supervisor Clare Beeson.
Mrs Donovan told the court that Salmon was “clearly drunk” as the CCTV showed him swaying and stumbling.
She said the blow left Ms Beeson on the floor and unconscious for a few moments.
The victim suffered from a broken eye socket and needed treatment at both Colchester and Broomfield hospitals.
She was offered surgery, and doctors warned her of the possibility of going blind, the court heard.
The injuries were said to be “life-changing” as Ms Beeson was out of work for several weeks, and suffered from flashbacks, leaving her frightened and housebound in her everyday life.
“I am anxious to get back to where I was,” she said i in a statement.
“What has happened to me has upset my children. My youngest daughter won’t even look at me.”
Mark Tomassi, mitigating, told the court that Salmon was genuinely sorry for his actions.
Reading a statement by Salmon, Mr Tomassi said: “He apologises for his actions, for the injuries he has caused and for the pain that he caused. He feels ashamed and appalled.”
He said Salmon was the “author of his own misfortune”, and regretted it deeply.
Recorder Richard Christie KC said: “It was a single punch with awful consequences.”
Salmon, of Harsnett Road, was sentenced to five months of electronic monitoring of his location between 7pm and 7am, 150 hours of unpaid work, 120 days of alcohol abstinence with a monitoring tag, and 20 rehabilitation activity days, as well as a fine of £367.
Source – Gazette Standard