A BOUNCER has been spared an immediate jail term after a vicious attack on a punter at a Southampton nightspot.

Karol Marzec, 33, admitted beating Stanislaw Los to the ground outside La Margherita last year and giving a false statement to police about the attack.

Fellow doormen David Lindop and Craig Long were cleared of perverting the course of justice by claiming Mr Los struck first.

Handing Marzec a six-month suspended sentence, the judge said he was provoked by the customer’s “intimidating” behaviour.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Mr Los had drunk 10 shots of vodka before heading to the bar in Town Quay on March 22 last year.

He was refused entry and shouted at the doormen, was “bouncing around” and trying to intimidate them, the jury was told.

CCTV played in court showed Marzec beat Mr Los to the ground with punches and what prosecutors called a “kung fu kick”, continuing to hit him as he lay on the ground.

Mr Los was left with bruises to his face and torso and had to take three days off work, the court heard.

Marzec, of St Catherine’s Road, Bitterne, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice by claiming Mr Los had struck first.

He was given a six-month sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £250 in compensation.

The court heard he has been banned from any work requiring a security badge.

Meanwhile, Mr Lindop, 37, and Mr Long, 26, were cleared of giving false statements to police.

Prosecutors claimed they were trying to protect their colleague by backing up his version of events.

Judge Burrell directed jurors to acquit Mr Long, of Severn Road, Millbrook, because he had not directly accused Mr Los of throwing a punch, making evidence against him “tenuous”.

Mr Lindop, of Vinery Gardens, Shirley, was cleared unanimously by the jury after telling the court his account was true to the best of his recollection.

Prosecutor Jane Rowley accused him of telling a “total lie” when he said Mr Los punched Marzec in the face.

David Freeland, defending, said the CCTV was “far from clear” about who struck who.

He said: “[Mr Lindop] is relying on his memory at 1.30am in the morning. On my submission he made an innocent and completely understandable mistake, if you think that was a mistake at all.”

There were tears and cries of joy from relatives in the public gallery as the verdict was read out. Mr Lindop embraced Mr Long as he emerged from the dock.

La Margherita has since rebranded as Fantinis. Manager and director Sebastian Bousson said: “We’re running things very differently here now. All of the door staff are new and all of the bar staff are new.”