Man who bit Tanguy's doorman sentenced to 18 months in prison

Saturday 01 July 2017

A 23-year-old man who bit a doorman at Tanguy's Bar in February 2017, while he was excluded from licensed premises, and subsequently resisted arrest, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Matthew Luke Sharman was facing three different counts: breaching an exclusion order, grave and criminal assault and resisting arrest. He pleaded guilty to all three in the Royal Court.

The Court heard that Sharman was excluded from licensed premises for 12 months after assaulting a man who had refused to give him a cigarette outside Liberation Station in March 2016. He breached the court order on 5 February this year and went to Tanguy's Bar. The manager recognised him as being on the list of persons excluded from licensed premises and he was escorted out.

Sharman became violent and aggressive when he was told the Police had been contacted. He was restrained on the floor by two doormen but continued to shout and thrash around. Whilst he was restrained, Sharman bit one of the doormen on his right bicep through his jacket and shirt.

The victim said: "I tried to keep him in an arm lock but he was throwing himself from side to side, his head was also moving from side to side, and his mouth was opening and closing like he was trying to get us, to bite us. He was biting my arm for a couple of seconds and then I moved my arm backwards and away from him and he let go. It instantly hurt...

"After the police arrested Matthew I took my jacket off to see my arm because it was hurting. I saw that it was bruised and bleeding. I went straight to hospital. I had a blood test and an injection, I've also been given antibiotics."

Sharman's struggle with the Tanguy's doormen was so violent that door staff from the Royal Yacht and Chambers came over to assist before the Police arrived. Sharman then resisted arrest, stiffening his arms and trying to pull away from the Police. The doormen had to help the police so that they could put Sharman in handcuffs. 

Crown Advocate Chris Baglin, who was prosecuting, requested a sentence of 18 months in prison, three months for the breach of the exclusion order, 15 consecutive months for the grave and criminal assault and three concurrent months for resisting arrest. He also asked for a further exclusion order of 12 months, starting after Sharman's release, to be applied. He noted that Sharman "deliberately breached a court order" and had "a history of drunk related convictions." He also referred to a Social Enquiry Report that assessed Sharman "as being at high risk of reoffending and of committing further violent acts."

Sharman's advocate, Lauren Glynn, opened her submission saying, "It is quite clear from reports that he has had a very difficult background which has led to further difficulties in his life," adding that he has been described as having "an extremely complex personality pattern."

She added that Sharman deeply regretted his action on the night of the events and that it had been the only occasion he had entered licensed premises since release from prison. 

She explained that Sharman had bitten the bouncer after ending up " face down with his face in the arm of the bouncer and the bouncer's other arm at the back of his neck." "He felt he couldn't breathe and bit the bouncer in order to get him to release his grip."

Advocate Glynn told Court that Sharman had accepted his response was disproportionate but that his judgment had been "clouded due to emotional difficulties he was experiencing on that day," namely the recent loss of his mother and uncle and the adoption of his daughter. She also explained that Sharman wasn't drunk during the incident, having only had two beers before going into town.

Concluding her submission, she urged the Court to consider a non-custodial sentence saying, "if Mr Sharman should ever have the opportunity to turn his life around, today should be the day he is given that chance."

The Court followed the Crown's recommendations and handed out a 18-month prison sentence as well as a 24-month exclusion order, which took effect on Friday.

Handing out his sentence, Royal Court Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith, said that Sharman had committed a, "...blatant breach of a court order and a vicious assault on a doorman who acting within the terms of his employment," both of which demand a custodial sentence, "...as way of deterrence to others who might consider such actions." He also told Sharman it was "quite clear you have serious issues" and "it is absolutely vital that you address those issues, otherwise you face the prospect of being back again and again in Court."