A 21-YEAR-OLD man who headbutted another man in a St Helier nightclub – and then headbutted the bouncer who ejected him – has been ordered to carry out 130 hours of community service and banned from pubs and bars for six months.
Ethan John de la Mare, who admitted charges of common assault and grave and criminal assault, was also told to pay £1,539 in compensation to the bouncer, who suffered a broken nose and an eye injury in the attack.
Advocate Adam Harrison, prosecuting, told the Magistrate’s Court that the assaults took place at Vittoria nightclub in Liberty Wharf on 18 December last year.
He said de la Mare had headbutted another customer in an unprovoked attack, and that when he was then escorted off the premises, he had headbutted a bouncer.
The attack on the bouncer was deemed a grave and criminal assault.
De la Mare admitted the assaults immediately, and Advocate Harrison said: ‘He said: “What they say is true. I’m disgusted by what I did.”’
Advocate Debbie Corbel, defending, said her client should therefore be given a community punishment rather than a prison sentence.
She told the court: ‘Mr de la Mare has felt nothing but remorse since the incident.
‘The offences were aggravated by intoxication but he has not sought to make any excuse of any kind.’
She also pointed out that her client, who is an apprentice electrician, had no previous convictions.
‘Many people, including his employer, think very highly of him,’ said the advocate.
Relief Magistrate Sarah Fitz told de la Mare: ‘Using your head as a weapon can cause considerable damage but this seems to be out of character.’
She sentenced him to 120 hours of community service for the grave and criminal assault on the bouncer and 50 hours for the assault on the other customer.
Forty hours of the second order are to run concurrently with the first order, and ten hours will run consecutively to it, making the total sentence 130 hours.
Imposing the compensation order and banning him from licensed premises for six months, she added: ‘We don’t ever want to see you back in court.’
