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Bouncer Hospitalises Youth.

Jim Barter | 23.08.2003 20:14 | Sheffield

On the night of 22nd of August 2003 a visitor to sheffield enjoying a night out with freinds is hospitalised by a bouncer at the Leadmill nightclub. This article is one persons personal account of the night.

I went clubbing last night after a year or two (time flies) of 'semi-retirement' and I was thrown out of a nightclub for the first time in my life.

"You probably deserved it..." you might think.

Well yes, I'd had rather a lot to drink, but I was not paralytic, violent or sick, a bit wobbly maybe but certainly well able to stand on my own two feet unaided (one of the 'bouncers' didn't seem to think so - more of that in a while) hold an intelligent reasoned discussion with the manager (well, my half of the conversation was reasoned) and I most certainly was not a danger to myself or others.

Now any club or pub in the land has the right to eject any member of the public they do not wish on the premises, this is a fact of law, they may also use 'reasonable force' to do so if necessary. So if they did wish me to leave a polite request would have done the job, I'm not reactionary.

Anyway the first bouncer asked me to leave because 'I was drunk' I said, "OK - let me get my bag", which they did. then with one bouncers hand on my arm, and a second bouncer leading the way, they started leading me out of the club. Now I cannot stress this enough, I'm not violent, I abhor danger, fighting, bloodshed of any form, so when for no reason that I can work out the second, larger, bouncer steps right up in front of me, leans into my chest and makes quite clear his intent to cause me pain and distress should I be any trouble I did what any self respecting 37 year old man would do - I totally complied and let the first bouncer, a smaller asian gentleman - put me in a double armed hammer lock and frogmarch me to the door - he was obviously concerned that I may fall and damage myself on the furniture, or the floor, or someone's fist.

So I find my self out in the street at around 1 in the morning, wondering what to do, I decide to wait for my friends still inside as the club closes at around 2am. I'm standing calmly leaning against a railing smoking a cigarette when bouncer number 3 who is working on the door starts talking to me (I think he was either trying to decide if I was going to do something stupid, or just being friendly - I'm not sure) I notice his name badge 'Wayne'. "I'm a bit puzzled as to why I was thrown out Wayne, some of the other people in there seemed in a far worse state than myself, would it be possible to talk to the manager?", there was some further discussion but after a while another gentleman steps outside and asks for my name, so I tell him, and my second name, so I tell him, and ask for his, "Richard" he says pointing to his name badge, "Whats your second name", he refuses to tell me and tells me to leave the area, "But I'm just waiting for my friends, I think I'll stay", "No" he says, "You'll leave" at this point I am starting to get a tad miffed, so I inform Richard that I plan to write up this series of events and publish them on the internet, at this he does become decidedly unhappy and promises to sue me should I say anything slanderous, so I am whilst writing this trying very hard to paint a full and accurate picture of the events. Richard again tells me I should leave or perhaps phone the police if I'm unhappy, 5 of them 1 of me, I decide to humour him and take a walk round the block.

5 minutes later I'm back infront of the club, Richard notices and again tells me I should leave the area, his voice did seem a tad upset so I move slightly away after telling a slight fib, "I have phoned the police - and now I'm waiting for my friends" at this he decides to ignore me as I think he's deduced that I'm not dangerous and I settle in to wait.

I have some friendly banter with a couple of other people leaving the club, and also with Wayne the bouncer, and I also talk a little to another bouncer 'Mark' nothing of any consequence, no threats, no posturing - totally professional doormen - just doing their job.

It's about 1.30 - 1.40am now and out steps the 'larger' of the two bouncers I'd met earlier - he looks at me and asks "Are you gonna get your mates to beat me up then?", "Not at all" I say, "I'm just waiting for them", thankfully I think, the area is quite well lit, and I was talking to a nice couple called 'Ken' and 'Iaeda' (I think she was Spanish) so this large chappie just disappears back inside.

About 5 minutes pass, and this is where the night gets really disturbing - now I've been clubbing in Sheffield for about 20 years and have seen quite a few sights, fights and frights, but the next 5 minutes were the some of the most disgusting I've ever seen on any night out.

Two more bouncers eject a young lad from the main entrance into the street, he is a tad upset and they quite firmly move him away from the door. His friends follow and a small group of drunk young lads starts to move away from the club, there is some jeering and catcalling at the doorstaff. Then the lad whose just been thrown out makes a mistake that nearly cost him his life.

He throws an empty cigarette packet at one of the bouncers, (this is a new one I'd not seen before) it hits him about the level of his chest and drops to the floor, This bouncer then proceeds to head in the direction of the young lad about 12 feet away, Mark the doorman follows. The as yet unknown bouncer proceeds to lift his leg in a kick that dropped the youth to the floor he may well have punched him as well - hard to see from my angle - the lad is on the floor, not moving.

People are a bit stunned, is this lad drunk? dead? what is going on? Mark the doorman leads unknown bouncer back inside, this lads friends are kneeling round him and I walk over, there is a pool of blood about 2 feet across coming from the back of his head, he's obviously unconscious and probably cracked his skull on the pavement as he went down. I tell one of these lads to phone an ambulance, and walk towards Wayne and Mark, "can you ask Richard the Manager to come outside please? one of your bouncers has just layed a guy out in the street and I saw it all happen." Mark disappears inside, a few minutes later Richard is back he looks around and starts yelling at people to back off and let him deal with it, but the public at this point don't really like Richard or his staff and a girl kneeling by the poor youths head says "I'm a nurse and I'll look after him".

Unknown bouncer and Mark are back at the door, "Thats a bit of a mess" I say to unknown, "Yeah" he says, then "Do you go to the Arches (another sheffield club)." "Yes, my names Jim, whats yours?" "Dave" he says, pointing to his ever present name badge, "My girlfriend goes there alot" he says (It may have been sister, I wasn't really listening), I walk away, unbelieving that he's so calm!

The police and ambulances arrive, I make my statement to the police, and Richard arrives again and tells me to leave then shoves me, right in front of a police officer I ask the officer if he saw it, he nods. Richard disappears back inside. There is some arguing going on by the door, people are confused about what they have seen.

Another Officer then asks me for my name again and to confirm my address, He also mentions that they have video from CCTV cameras in the street. One of the lads friends asks for my name and number, I oblige, he also informs me that the lad (I wished I'd got his name, was a first time visitor to Sheffield). At this point the club is starting to empty, the ambulances leave, the police hang around, Richard is still arguing at the door, Dave and Mark are still there, seeming totally calm.

When the last of the punters have left the club, the Door staff fall back inside and slam the doors shut, there seems nothing else I can do, my friends are not to be found (I may have missed them in the confusion) so I walk home.

The name of this club? The Lead mill. I used to think of it as one of the friendlier clubs in Sheffield, but after last night I won't be going there again. Ever.

I was under the impression that the days of 'profesional thuggery' were long-gone, most doormen (and I have met a lot of them) are kind, courteous, well trained to do their job. After all, their job is to protect you the punter from acts of violence, not to put you in hospital, it seems that there are still one or two 'Bouncers' I won't call them 'Doormen', who are willing to slip the leesh and become rottweilers at the drop of a fag packet.

I hope that the lad is OK.

I ought to add that the above history of last nights events is from my viewpoint and others present at the scene may have sightly or even totally different recollection of what happened, we each live in our own universe and interpret physical reality in different ways each according to our own consciousness.

There were several witness's

The author can be contacted at ' punter@cybo.co.uk'

Jim Barter
- e-mail: jim@cybo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.cybo.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following comment

put yourself in a person that has to put up with shits shoes!!!

14.11.2004 17:11

hey look dude, ive worked doors since even before I was legally able too, PLUS have been drinking getting intoxicated and attending clubs well before then, One thing that I have learnt being on both ends of the spetrum is respect, Whether it has been a big night out on the grog or a big night controlling it!! 'Bouncers', as people like to call them, are only doing their job! I have worked in too mant clubs to count what I like to call, and rightly so, 'security', (coz I like to think we make a safe and secure place for patrons and staff), and have basically had enough of drunken and/or argumentative people with too much attitude who choose not to listen to warnings given! As I said b4 I was getting excessively drunk, but I always respected that it was the securities job to remove me if I was causing any disruption to anyones fun filled night, and lets face it, drunken shennanigans is always gonna piss off someone who is following the rules and/or sober, and I have always beleived my role as security of a club is, first of all, securing a persons safe but fun filled and trouble free night, then dealing with any other troubles that mat arise. Dont get me wrong, as I said I have been on the other end of bouncers, but in saying that I hve never been 'kicked out' by a bouncer, I have always left on my own accord! I can name numerous occasions where I have obiviously broken a nightclubs/pubs rules and thought I had gotten away with it, only to be confrtonted by a 'bouncer' ASKING me to leave. At this stage I do not get argumentatitve like most (speaking from experience) people do I walk myself out! What I do is always appreciated by the security staff and I am always welcome back coz they know that I know where I stand. To sum it all up I do consider that people get really drunk and they may thik that what they say and do is more than reasonable but that is always the case with alcohol, people can always condemn a bouncer but those people never think of the same cercumstances but in the other shoe. It would prob be funny to some people but I have been an alcoholic to nightclub security and have done both very well, especially security, and I would really love to see some of the people that I have 'removed' from one of the premises I have worked at put up with (as we have to) 5 minutes of intoxicated them arguing and disagreeing the point after at least 10 other people have done the same, all I have to say is respect the nightclub security and they will respect you! Everyone I have 'removed' from where I have worked under non aggressivem, sometimes aggressive, circumstances has always been told they will be welcomed back as long as they dont act the way they have done and RESPECT everyone at the club either patrons TRYING to have goo time (without their drunken shennanigans) or staff trying to please the patrons and HELP them enjoy themselves!

please feel free to email me I really want to hear what people have to say (patron or 'bouncer) coz as I have said I have been on both ends of the spectrum!

KNIGHTY!

knighty
mail e-mail: grosseyUK@hotmail.com


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