Leeds bouncer jailed for rendering victim '˜senseless' in pavement attack

A DOORMAN who was caught on camera kicking a man unconscious on the pavement outside a Leeds city centre bar where he worked has been jailed.
Marcus Saleh, a doorman jailed for two years for kicking a man unconscious outside Smokestack bar in Leeds city centre.Marcus Saleh, a doorman jailed for two years for kicking a man unconscious outside Smokestack bar in Leeds city centre.
Marcus Saleh, a doorman jailed for two years for kicking a man unconscious outside Smokestack bar in Leeds city centre.

Marcus Saleh was jailed for two years after a judge watched CCTV footage of him rendering the victim “senseless” in the attack.

Salah, 23, was working as a bouncer at Smokestack, on Briggate, when he attacked the victim on July 20 this year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Leeds Crown Court was shown footage of the incident in which Salah was seen to punch the victim several times in a stand-off which last around around three minutes.

He then knocked the victim to the ground before kicking him to the side of the head.

A court heard that onlookers were shocked at the level brutality used powerfully-built Salah.

Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, described how the incident took place after the victim challenged Salah when he caught him sitting on his mountain bike which was chained up outside the bar.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Salah had also been “twiddling” with the peddles as he chatted to two woman.

The victim, who had not been drinking in Smokestack but had been to a different pub, remonstrated with Saleh but the doorman refused to apologised.

Mr Sharp said: “The complainant’s recollection is that he asked the defendant whether his mother had not taught him some respect for others’ property.”

The court heard Saleh’s account was that the victim swore and racially abused him.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The footage showed Saleh punching the victim before squaring up to him as as the victim backed away.

Salah attacked the man again as the victim tried to unchain the bike.

The footage also shows Saleh putting the victim in the recovery position and using his phone to contact police when he realised he caused serious injury.

Another man who witnessed the assault also dialled 999.

The prosecutor said: “He described the kick as unprovoked. He was shocked at the brutality of the attack, in particular the kick when (the victim) was defenceless on the floor.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Paramedics arrived and initially thought the victim had suffered a fractured skull.

He was taken to hospital and treated for cuts and swelling to his face.

Saleh pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The court heard Saleh had lost is job and has had his licence taken away from him as a result of the attack

Anthony Sugare, mitigating, said Saleh was “low and depressed” at the time of the incident as his grandfather had died and he had just split up with his girlfriend.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Sugare said Salah was a former engineering student and had no previous convictions.

The lawyer said Saleh carried out the attack after being provoked.

He said: “The victim was in drink and he must have said things that he would not say sober.”

Jailing Saleh, judge Penelope Belcher said: “You were outside the premises where you worked.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“You could have easily and simply left the scene and gone back into those premises.

“The way to deal with it is not what happened here.

“What happened here was a very nasty, sustained, attack

“I’m willing to accept that you were the subject of some derogatory remarks - that doesn’t justify what happened.

“What I see on the CCTV is not a man trying to extract himself from the situation, to leave it, to get away from it, but someone who is trying to square up to the victim.

“As a professional doorman you could simply have turned around and walked away or simply dealt with this situation by apologising.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Have you downloaded the free YEP app available on Android and iphone?

Related topics: