A DOORMAN repeatedly punched and kicked a “nice guy” former colleague he had pushed to the ground after being refused entry while he was highly drunk and off duty.
The violent attack took place after Aaron Hickey tried to get back into Bar 44 on Westfield Street in St Helens town centre where he had worked until a few days earlier.
It was ten minutes before closing time in the early hours of Monday, June 3, 2019 when bouncer Engin Kurt refused to let Hickey in.
CCTV footage showed that Hickey immediately pushed him along the pavement and into a doorway.
That was out of view of the camera but they quickly emerged and while Mr Kurt lay on the ground Hickey was shown repeatedly punching him and kicking him four times.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that 41-year-old Mr Kurt had fortunately only suffered “relatively minor injuries” including bruises and abrasions to his elbows and forehead.
He suffered pain and discomfort and was off work for a few days.
Mr Kurt lost his job at Bar 44 as his boss feared the potential for further incidents but he got a similar job in a different area a month later, said Derek Jones, prosecuting.
Bar 44
Mr Jones added that there did not appear to have been previous animosity between the two men and Hickey described the victim to police as “a friend and someone he liked, a nice guy".
Hickey, 25, who has 18 convictions for 32 offences mainly for violence and public disorder, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.
Jailing him for 12 months Judge Thomas Teague, QC, said to Hickey: “You clearly had have a problem with controlling your temper.”
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He told Hickey, whose pregnant girlfriend sat in the public gallery, that it was not appropriate to suspend the sentence “because of the sustained nature of the assault and the use of a shod foot".
Judge Teague described it as a serious assault in which he punched his victim and kicked him four times using both feet and with some of the blows making contact with his head.
Zahra Baqri, defending, said that Hickey, who had consumed “a vast amount of alcohol”, had a verbal disagreement with Mr Kurt in the hours running up the incident. He claimed that the victim had insulted him and the assault followed.
“He does not have a clear recollection of him assaulting the complainant but he fully accepts responsibility and having viewed the footage he is sickened by his actions.”
She added that he is “extremely remorseful” and has significantly reduced his alcohol intake. He is suffering from PTSD following childhood trauma and has voluntarily been attending mental health services.
Miss Baqri pointed out that he had had the matter hanging over him since the incident.
Judge Teague was highly critical of the fact that despite having enough evidence to charge him the police had released him under investigation and dealt with the case by postal requisition resulting in matters being delayed for more than five months.
As Hickey, of Mersey Street, Parr, was led to the cells he told his weeping partner, “It’s all right, I love you.”
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