Suspended sentence for doorman who punched woman

57-year-old left complainant with a cut lip after she broke his glasses

A doorman has been handed a suspended prison sentence after punching a woman while working at a Douglas bar.

Warren Clark of Janet's Corner in Castletown was convicted of common assault following a trial, after initially denying responsibility for the offence.

The court heard the woman had been drinking in the Nag's Head on 3 June last year when she damaged Clark's glasses, leading to him punching her in the face and leaving her with a cut lip.

The 57-year-old's advocate said since the trial he has accepted that the force used wasn't reasonable, and that it wasn't the way he normally acts.

It was also suggested that the incident may not have occurred had another member of door staff been on duty like there usually is, as Clark was dealing with four people at the time of the incident.

Handing down the sentence, Magistrates told Clark he was fortunate not to have inflicted a more serious injury, and warned the conviction will likely impact his career going forward.

Clark was handed a 12-week custodial sentence suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to pay £1,000 in prosecution costs.