A Willaston man has been handed a suspended sentence after an assault on a pub doorman.

Kyle John Berry, of Clypse Road, was sentenced to four weeks’ custody, suspended for 12 months, and also fined £750.

Berry, who works at Poker Stars as part of their Sports Book team, was also ordered to pay £200 prosecution costs and banned from licensed premises for six months.

Prosecutor Michael Jelski told the court how, at 3.30am on April 2, Berry, who is 30, had arrived at the Nag’s Head pub in Victoria Street accompanied by a man and woman.

The pub doorman told the group that the pub was closing and Berry’s friends agreed to leave.

However, Berry was said to have refused to leave, despite being asked to by the doorman several times.

He was said to have become increasingly belligerent and the doorman used force to remove him.

Berry was shouting and gesticulating with his male friend joining in. Berry was then said to have struck the bouncer in the face.

Police were called but the group had left the pub by the time officers arrived.

Berry was located and arrested but made no reply after caution.

He was interviewed and told police that he could not remember what had happened, but accepted the evidence against him.

Berry said that he was not a violent person and that he was confused by his behaviour.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault but also entered a basis of plea, which was not accepted by the prosecution.

A Newton Hearing was set to take place, to settle the disputed facts but Berry then abandoned his basis of plea.

A probation report had suggested a conditional discharge as a possible penalty.

But prosecutor Mr Jelski said: ’As this was an assault on doorstaff on licensed premises we would ask the court to consider a licensing ban. Personally I don’t see how you can deal with an assault on doorstaff by way of a conditional discharge.’

Defending Berry in court, advocate Paul Rodgers said: ’Mr Berry was fully remorseful and highly embarrassed by events.

’He attended the Nag’s Head afterwards to seek to apologise but could not find the doorman. He has sent a letter of apology to him.

’He accepts once he had been told the leave, he shouldn’t have been there. Perhaps a conditional discharge is too optimistic.’

Mr Rodgers went on to say that Berry would lose his employment if he was sent to prison.

Magistrates’ chairman Alan Gelling said: ’We find the suggestion of a conditional discharge inappropriate. It implies doorstaff should expect to be subjected to violence, they should not.’