A lap-dancing club doorman punched an Ed Sheeran fan in the face and broke his jaw – and the ‘brutal unprovoked attack’ was filmed on CCTV.
Michael Barraclough was on his way home from a concert at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, when he was set upon by Kevin Davies.
Mr Barraclough was passing by Davies, 39, who was on the door at a strip bar at 4am when he viciously targeted his victim.
Music-lover Mr Barraclough suffered a broken cheekbone, eye socket and jaw in the shocking attack captured on nearby cameras.
A court heard Davies was working as a bouncer at For Your Eyes Only in Cardiff when Mr Barraclough and his girlfriend walked past.
Nuhu Gobir, prosecuting, said CCTV showed Davies ‘delivering a blindside punch to the right side of his face’.
‘That punch immediately and forcefully sends the complainant to the floor,’ he said.
‘He grabbed the complainant’s T-shirt close to his collar with both fists and swung him around and he delivered another forceful punch, this time to the left side of the complainant’s face.’
Mr Gobir asked Mr Barraclough: ‘Had you done anything to provoke the doorman?’
He told the jury: ‘I wouldn’t know him from Adam. I think he went steaming in and knocked me out cold.
‘In my eyes it was an unprovoked attack.’
Davies told the police he hit Mr Barraclough in self-defence as part of a ‘pre-emptive strike’.
He claimed he stepped in to protect girlfriend Karina Tufft after claiming his victim was being ‘aggressive’ to her on May 29, 2022.
Jurors were told the couple had argued while walking down St Mary Street while looking for food after going out drinking in Cardiff city centre following the gig.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Davies initially pushed Mr Barraclough to the floor ‘with excessive force’ before the two men came together and he punched him.
Miss Tufft told jurors her then boyfriend was ‘shouting in her face’ before he was struck by Davies.
She said: ‘I asked the bouncer: “What the f*** was that all about?” It came out of nowhere. It was unnecessary. I was so shocked.’
Footage of the assault was recorded from a camera at the neighbouring Taco Bell restaurant.
Davies, of Blaenavon, Gwent, was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm.
The court heard father-of-one Davies would lose his security licence as a result of his conviction.
Sol Hartley, defending, said: ‘He will lose a job which he enjoyed and a job that provided a future for him and can’t earn as he did before.’
Davies was handed a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay Mr Barraclough £800 compensation.
Judge Recorder Sean Bradley said: ‘You punched him directly in the face with a very significant and clearly excessive degree of force.
‘It’s clear to me you seriously misjudged this situation. You rushed in to defend Miss Tufft when there was no need to.
‘You’re a big man and even if you had intended to protect Miss Tufft you clearly used excessive force.’
Source – Metro