A DOORMAN suffered a dislocated knee and a cut to his head after violence marred what should have been a bride’s happiest day at a Southam wedding venue.
But after a judge at Warwick Crown Court accepted wedding guest Christopher Stroud had not intended to cause the injuries, he escaped a prison sentence.
Stroud, whose partner was a bridesmaid at the wedding last May, pleaded guilty to charges of assault and inflicting grievous bodily harm.
The 29-year-old of Mynydd Newydd Road, Penlan, Swansea, was given a 12-month community sentence and was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £500 compensation to his victim.
Prosecutor Nigel Stelling said: “It’s not plain what had caused the friction and tension between elements of the bride’s family and the groom’s family, but the tension built and resulted in an altercation.”
Mr Stelling said it began off-camera, but then moved to the centre of the dancefloor where part of it was captured by a CCTV camera.
From the recording it was ‘clear there were a number of people acting unlawfully,’ but Stroud was the only person who was charged, although two women were given police cautions.
Judge Anthony Potter observed it was clear neither Stroud nor his his partner were involved in the tension that built up.
But matters were inflamed when the two women who have been given cautions started to assault Stroud’s partner, and as that situation escalated, Stroud assaulted another guest, Blake Barley.
Stroud then reacted aggressively towards security staff, and after being taken outside he pushed one of them, Niks Gurekis, who fell to the floor.
As a result, Mr Gurekis suffered a cut to the back of his head and a dislocated knee.
Sentencing Stroud, Judge Potter said he was confident when the bride was organising her wedding she did plan for it to descend into “an orgy of violence”.
He told Stroud: “You played your part in initially becoming involved in violence in relation to one of the guests. Your partner being assaulted in front of you is bound to aggravate matters.
“I recognise you were not alone, and that there were some members of her husband’s family who are rather fortunate to have escaped standing where you are.
“Where you are really culpable is that you got involved again. Once members of security staff got involved, you should have had the sense to know the time had come not to continue to behave in a struggling fashion.”
