A pub bouncer who hit a man in the face “overreacted out of fear” when he found himself surrounded.
Sean O’Reilly was ejecting a customer from the Church Street premises with a colleague when a group of people gathered around them.
Fearing that they were about to be attacked, door steward O’Reilly lashed out, leaving his victim with a cut above his eye.
Appearing before Inverness Sheriff Court, the 22-year-old pled guilty to a single charge of assault relating to the incident on August 4 2019.
Assault caught on CCTV
The plea came after O’Reilly had the chance to review CCTV footage of the attack.
Fiscal depute Shamielah Ghafar told the court that the victim suffered a laceration above his right eye and it required to be glued.
Defence solicitor Graham Mann, for O’Reilly, said his client was working with another bouncer at the time of the incident.
Pub door steward ‘overreacted’
He said: “Something kicked off inside. A group became difficult to manage and one man struck out at other patrons.
“As my client and his colleague were trying to shepherd him out, the colleague was struck. My client felt they were outnumbered and he overreacted out of fear.
“There has been no offending since.”
Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood ordered O’Reilly, of Achandunic, Ardross, to pay his victim £200 in compensation.
