Men sentenced after attacking pub doorman

Three men who acted like "drunken teenage louts" when they beatup staff at a Keynsham pub have been given suspended prisonsentences.

Drunken Julian Connor, Paul Hervin and Andrew Shorney brawledwith the bar manager and doorman at The Pioneer pub.

The fracas began after depressed Connor took an overdose and thenwent drinking with his pals.

Once at the pub they attacked the doorman for no reason.

Connor, 34, of Mendip Close, Keynsham, Hervin, 39, of Downfield,Staple Hill Grove, Keynsham, and Shorney, 31, of Coronation Avenue,Keynsham, were caught on CCTV.

At Bristol Crown Court, all three admitted affray and receivedthree-month prison sentences, suspended for 12 months. They mustalso pay their victims pounds200 compensation.

Connor also received a 12-month supervision requirement and hisco-defendants were given 150 hours of unpaid community work.

Paul Grumbar, prosecuting, told the court that doorman VitterioBecker and bar manager James McGregor were injured in the affray onApril 28 last year.

He said the trio had been rowdy when they arrived.

"Shortly afterwards there was an unprovoked attack. Connor wentover to Mr Becker and threw a punch at his face. Mr Becker foughtback," said Mr Grumbar.

He said Hervin hit Mr Becker on the head with a glass and thensmashed a pool cue across his back.

When Mr McGregor went to help the doorman, Shorney attacked him,knocking to the ground and kicking him.

The three ran out but thanks to CCTV images, they were laterarrested.

Mr Becker, who is also a roofer, suffered a badly bruised backand internal damage, as well as cuts to his head, and was off workfor a week.

Mr McGregor suffered bruised and swollen arms in the attack.

Nicholas O'Brien, defending Connor, said his client had a goodjob with a firm of metal fabricators before becoming depressed in2006.

He said the defendant had a row with his partner on April 28 andhad taken an overdose of anti-depressants before going to the pub.

He said Connor was now motivated to seek help and tackle hisdrinking.

Ramin Pakrooh, defending father-of-two Hervin, who had also beensuffering from depression, said his client had not intended to usethe glass as a weapon.

David Chidgey, defending delivery man Shorney, said his clientaccepted Mr Becker was doing his job when he attacked him, and wasremorseful.

Recorder Mr Paul Derbyshire told the trio: "Although all three ofyou are in your 30s, you acted like drunken teenage louts in ThePioneer that evening. You terrified the bar staff."