Bouncer punched singing customer

A bouncer at Hillbilly’s in Cork City centre, who claimed he had to put up with a lot of blackguarding, punched a man twice in the face leaving him bleeding from the nose and ear.

The bouncer was convicted and fined €400 yesterday for the assault, after he paid €2,000 compensation to the victim.

Richard Lane, 25, of 4 Ard Na Greine, Banduff, Mayfield, Cork, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Glenn O’Connor on Dec 28, 2011, at Grand Parade, Cork.

The injured party had been singing to the security man before Lane caught him and punched him twice in the face.

The young man was left with a cut to his ear, a split lip and a burst nose.

And it all began when the security man told the young man, who was with friends, he was barred from the takeaway.

The injured party asked why and the bouncer told him it was for singing a song a couple of weeks previously which had annoyed him. The injured party then sang the song and asked if that was the one. He was asked to move away and he stood his ground asking again if that was the song.

Lane then physically restrained Mr O’Connor with one arm and punched him twice in the nose and once in the left ear.

Mr O’Connor put his hands to his face and there was blood coming from his nose and ear. The incident was captured on CCTV.

David Brown, Lane’s solicitor, said yesterday: “His employer speaks very highly of him and says this was out of character. This has caused difficulties for him. He has to repay the €2,000 to other people.

“He has asked me to say he was continually subjected to abuse from various people in the early hours of the morning, not from this person [Mr O’Connor], and he [Lane] overreacted. Security guards have to put up with a lot of blackguarding.”

Judge Leo Malone said: “He may be unsuitable for this line of work but that is a matter for himself.”

No civil action was taken against the defendant.

Judge Malone said previously: “This was an unprovoked assault on an innocent bystander.”