Doorman strangled and kicked man on street outside Block 1 nightclub

Paul Lord grabbed hold of his victim and pulled him to the floor before carrying out the shocking assault.

Lord, of Linnal Park, Widnes, was working as a doorman at the time of the offence but had already had his SIA (Security Industry Authority) licence revoked.

The incident occurred outside Block 1 nightclub in Warrington on January 7, a court heard, with CCTV footage providing evidence for the case.

Prosecuting, Amy Edwards told Chester Crown Court how the victim in the case was stood outside the venue at around 2am in the morning when he saw a friend of his.

He recalled seeing a group of four men coming towards his friend ‘aggressively’, with Lord being one of the individuals within that group.

As the man walked over to help his friend - who had been knocked to the floor - he was then grabbed and pulled to the floor by one of the men in the group.

He described getting up, holding his hands up and beginning to walk away but was taken to the floor again.

While on the ground, Lord then became involved, grabbing the man by the throat and strangling him for 15 seconds.

The court heard how the victim thought the defendant was ‘going to kill him’.

He was nearly unconscious by the time Lord let go, but then received a blow to the head as the defendant kicked him with his foot.

The hearing took place in Chester Crown Court (Image: NQ) Police were called to the scene on the street, where the defendant had the man pinned up to the wall.

He was asked to attend a police interview but did not show up.

Addressing his record of convictions, Ms Edwards stated that Lord had committed relevant offences previously which included the battery of two of his former partners.

As well as a conviction of theft as an employee from when he was working as a security guard and stole diesel from the establishment he worked at.

Appearing for sentencing last Friday (October 4), the defendant had pleaded guilty to one count of intentional strangulation and another of common assault.

Defending, Peter Barnett said his client has ‘struggled to come to terms with the act he has committed’.

He added that Lord has never been in custody before and stated that following the incident on the night, the offender called the police himself and ask that they recover the CCTV footage of what happened.

Addressing the defendant before sentencing, Honour Judge Michael Leeming said: “The victim was vulnerable at the time of the offence as he had been drinking and you took hold of him while he was on the floor.

“Your record of violence is relevant here. The location and timing of the events are too. There were two of you and one victim and as a doorman, people expect you to defuse situations like this.

“It is an aggravating factor that your SIA licence had already been revoked at this time.”

Before handing Lord a suspended sentence of 20 months, suspended for two years, Judge Leeming added: “Please understand that you have never come closer to an immediate prison sentence.”

He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work as well as attend 30 rehabilitation requirement days.