Darren Liddington
received a deep cut above his eye when 18-year-old Mitchell
Davis, of The Willows caravan site in Sandhurst Lane,
Gloucester, lashed out just after midnight.
Davis pleaded guilty
to common assault when he appeared before city magistrates on
Tuesday.
Prosecuting
solicitor Louise Pinder said: “A member of the door staff at
Liquid nightclub in Eastgate Street refused a group entry and so
the defendant punched the man in the face, causing a deep cut to
the eyebrow.
“The defendant
then said 'Yeah, you bleed' and made off, but the police drove
around the city until they found him.
“The defendant
has a previous conviction for assault in 2004.
“In a victim's
statement, Mr Liddington said that he was annoyed because he
wasn't looking and it was a cheap punch.
“He also said he
was expecting reprisals from the group.”
Defending
solicitor David Brown said: “My client was not actually part of
the group. He was there with a friend, when he saw the trouble
start.
“The doorman
thought he was with the group and pushed him away.
“My client was in
the wrong place at the wrong time but he lost his temper and
threw a single punch in the heat of the moment.
“Drink played a
part, but of course that is no excuse.”
Magistrates
imposed a 12-month community order, with 12 months' supervision
and ordered the defendant to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
He was also
ordered to pay £50 compensation to Mr Liddington and £30 towards
prosecution costs.
