February 2, 2018 4.48 pm This story is over 79 months old

Lincoln bar doorman who admitted assault avoids jail

The incident happened outside Walkabout.

A door supervisor who fractured a man’s nose during an incident while he was working outside a Lincoln bar escaped an immediate jail sentence at Lincoln Crown Court today.

Ceann Gresham had been struck by Martin Johnson who was then restrained by friends outside the Walkabout Bar on the city’s High Street.

Mr Johnson, who had been ejected from the bar, attempted to get at Gresham and was brought to the ground by other door staff.

But while he was on the ground Gresham punched him three times and kicked out at him.

Andrew Scott, prosecuting, said: “It is clear there was some provocation.”

As a result of the incident Mr Johnson suffered a fractured nose and a painful left shoulder.

Ceann Gresham, 26, of Langdown Close, Bulwell, Nottingham, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm to Martin Johnson as a result of the incident on August 20, 2017.

Sunil Khanna, in mitigation said that Gresham had been under extreme pressure at the time.

He said Gresham suffers mental health problems arising from the continuing effects of post traumatic stress disorder which arose from a tragic event in his childhood.

“He was in severe financial difficulties. He had loaned a friend some money and when it was due to be repaid it wasn’t.

“He was due to be evicted. He couldn’t pay the rent or for his medication for his post traumatic stress disorder. His doctor told him he should be signed off sick but he couldn’t afford to.

“He has been working for five years in the security industry with no previous issues. His SIA Licence has been suspended and the job he enjoys is no longer available to him.

“Normally he is a very professional person. On this occasion he had been struck to the face and he reacted.”

Gresham was given a nine month jail sentence suspended for two years with 150 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Simon Hirst, passing sentence, told him: “It is perfectly plain that it wasn’t a full-bloodied kick and it was, in the words of the prosecution, a flick.

“Had it been a full-bloodied kick then no mitigation would have saved you from immediate custody.”