Drunk sentenced for punching doorman at Old Town bar

A man who punched a security guard in the face after being kicked out of a bar in Old Town has been sentenced.

Joseph Theobald, 35, of Albion Street, pleaded guilty to assault by beating at Swindon Magistrates Court on June 25.

The victim, a security guard at the Star Bar on Wood Street, described Theobald as ‘smartly dressed but drunk’ on the night of February 24, when he received complaints from a female saying he had been inappropriate.

He approached Theobald asking him to leave, which he did not, and after giving him several chances, he restrained Theobald and escorted him out of the bar.

Outside the venue, accounts director Theobald was seen playing with his watch before suddenly swinging at the security guard and punching him in the face, causing a cut to his cheek.

The victim did not require hospital treatment and the police arrived shortly after to arrest him.

At the hearing, Theobald, who was representing himself, passed letters to the magistrate apologising for his actions.

He said he had not consumed alcohol in four and a half months, had been to Alcoholics Anonymous and had started going cycling as a form of therapy.

The magistrate told him: “It is serious because people who work in these industries are very exposed to violence and not given the back-up you get as a police officer or firefighter.

“It’s serious because it was completely unprovoked and probably quite frightening for him. That type of abuse has a long-term impact.

“I accept you have done a lot to move on in your life.”

At the hearing on June, 25, Jeremy Yuille, defending, said: “He was remorseful. These events have brought him up short.

“What brought this lesson home to him was that he has no recollection of this incident.

“He apologises for his actions and does not seek to justify them. What he did was wrong and he can’t offer any explanation.

“Drinking is not usually an issue for him, but he recognises that it’s something he needs to address.”

He was ordered to pay £200 compensation and complete 60 hours of unpaid community service.

In 2012, Theobald was convicted of being drunk and disorderly and he strangled a police officer and bit another after drinking 20 pints on a night out in July 2017.

Source – Swindon Advertiser