A bouncer who slapped a man who spat at him has been handed a suspended sentence.

Anthony Peter Lawrence Foster, aged 25, of Riverside, Ramsey, was working as a doorman at 1886 when the incident happened.

On the night of December 20/21 at between 11.45pm and 12.04am, Foster was talking to a man who had been removed from the bar on the steps of the former post office in Regent Street, Douglas.

Foster pushed the man away on two separate occasions, but the man came back at him and on the third occasion, after words, he spat at Foster.

Prosecutor Hazel Caroon said that Foster responded by slapping the man who fell back and hit his head on the railings before falling down the three or four steps at the front of the bar.

Foster did not approach the man as he laid unconscious, leaving others to check on him. He said he felt his presence may inflame the situation and he followed his training.

Deemster Graeme Cook said during the sentencing that he agreed Foster had made the right decision not to go to the man after he fell.

Defence advocate Darren Taubinitz said his client had accepted his guilt at an early stage and had even resigned from his job the day after the incident occurred.

At the time of the incident Foster was 24 years old and Mr Taubinitz said he had worked on doors for five years at various establishments and was ’very highly thought of’ by his previous employers who said he was a ’calm, confident and fair person’.

Mr Taubinitz said that in his time in the role, Foster had ’protected many people’ and that the incident on December 21 was ’totally out of character’.

He added: ’Working on a door is not an easy job, this is a small island and you can be targeted. Some members of the public are extremely difficult to deal with.’

Foster slapping the complainant was described as an ’immediate’ and ’impulsive’ response to being spat on.

Mr Taubinitz added that while being spat on is ’not an excuse, but it is disgusting’ and that Foster wished to apologise to the court, his family, his employer and to the man he slapped.

He also noted that, due to his conviction for grievous bodily harm assault, Foster will not be able to work in his dream job of being a firefighter, but he has made a new career for himself as a personal trainer.

Deemster Cook said: ’Being spat at must have been a horrible experience when you are providing a service to the public.’

But he did add that Foster should not have slapped the man and while he was right to follow his training and not approach him as he laid on the floor, he also should have used his experience and training not to slap the man.

He added: ’It was out of character, but you shouldn’t have done it.’ And said that Foster had ’learned a very hard lesson’.

Deemster Cook sentenced Foster to eight months, suspended for 12 months and ordered him to pay £200 court costs. He also wished Foster well in his future employment.