Nearly £4k for clubber who needed eye surgery after steward attack

Monday 12 September 2022

A nightclub steward, whose attack on a reveller left him needing eye surgery, has been sentenced to 180 hours' community service and ordered to pay nearly £4,000 in compensation to his victim.

Laying out the facts of the case in the Royal Court on Friday, Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho explained that the grave and criminal assault happened in the early hours of Sunday 3 April this year, as James Martin Shotbolt (24) was working a night shift.

His role as a steward at the nightcub involved observing customers inside the premises and, if any issues arose, he had authority to ask customers to leave the premises. 

However, if matters were to escalate, Shotbolt did not have authority to lay hands on customers as a steward. He was supported to inform a registered doorman if customers needed to be physically ejected from the premises, the Royal Court heard.

On the night of the attack, the victim - who described himself as "drunk" but with "full awareness" of what was going on - had been in Havana for around an hour with his partner when Shotbolt approached him and said words to the effect of: “Dude, she’s had one too many.”

The victim replied that he would look after his partner, and they would leave as soon as they finished their drinks. 

Soon after, Shotbolt returned to the couple and said to the victim: “It’s time to go now.” The victim remembered walking to the exit with his partner. The last thing he recalled from that evening was walking down a set of stairs and gripping onto the handrail.

Advocate Carvalho explained that CCTV from inside Havana nightclub showed Shotbolt escorting the victim and his partner out, then later pushing him with both hands on his upper body.

The next segment of CCTV showed the victim’s partner walking out of the premises whilst Shotbolt and the victim grappled with each other. A member of the public took hold of the victim - who showed no resistance or attempt to avoid being held - and stood between the two men.

Shotbolt then moved around the mediator, and struck the victim unconscious with a single blow to the left side of his face. Shotbolt and a member of the public then picked up the victim - whose body was said to be completely limp - dragged him outside of the nightclub.

The victim eventually regained consciousness and left the Bath Street area with his partner. However, hours later, concerns of concussion and his inability to open his left eye saw him attend A&E - though he was asked to return later on due to his level of intoxication.

The following morning, an examination at police headquarters confirmed injuries including facial swelling, bruising, numbness, and cuts which were said to be sustained due to "blunt force trauma".

Later in the week following the assault, the victim was assessed at hospital and advised that he needed facial surgery for a fracture to the region of the eye socket and cheekbone. So intense was the surgery that he had to stay off work for more than a month. 

Shotbolt was interviewed at police headquarters on 19 April 2022 during which he provided his own account of the evening the assault took place.  

Shotbolt confirmed he was working for Havana nightclub as a steward, and that he saw the victim and his partner arguing within the premises. He stated that the partner was intoxicated and so he asked both of them to leave. 

He explained that whilst they were standing at the top of the landing area next to the staircase with the victim and his partner, the partner was being verbally aggressive but the victim was calm and relaxed. 

Shotbolt stated that he escorted the couple down the stairs, and in doing so there was an altercation on the stairs which led to the victim flinging Shotbolt’s arms away. At this point, Shotbolt stated that he felt threatened which is why he punched the victim. 

However, Shotbolt accepted that the victim was not hostile or aggressive throughout their interaction.

The interviewing officer showed the CCTV to Shotbolt, who confirmed that it was him in the footage. When challenged in respect of the footage showing him pushing the victim first at the bottom of the stairs, Shotbolt stated that the victim had swiped his arm away and turned into him first.

When asked about the victim being held back by a member of the public, Shotbolt agreed that the victim was no threat to him as he punched him. 

Shotbolt then also confirmed he was not allowed to throw punches in his role as a steward and accepted that the victim was fully unconscious as a result of his punch. He made no response to the injuries that were described to him during the interview.

Shotbolt was originally charged in the Magistrate's Court, but it was decided that the offences were too serious to be sentenced there.

On Friday, he appeared before Commissioner Sir William Bailhache, sitting with Jurats Steven Austin-Vautier and Karen Le Cornu, who handed down a sentence of 180 hours' community service, which is equivalent to a 12-month prison sentence.  

Shotbolt was also ordered to pay the victim £2,280 for loss of wages during the time he had to be off due to his injuries, as well as £1,500 for “pain, suffering and loss of amenity”.  

This resulted in a total of £3,780 to be paid by Shotbolt to the victim within 21 days.