A FORMER colleague of a doorman involved in a fall at a Southampton nightclub in which a student was left paralysed, described him as a person who looked as though he had something to prove.

James Godwin, who has been a door supervisor for ten years, said he had worked with Andrew Lee for about six months at a Southampton bar six or seven years ago.

He told jurors at Southampton Crown Court, that he was quite articulate but when it came to the “crunch time” he became aggressive and full on.

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Asked by prosecutor William Mousley what he meant, Mr Godwin replied: “He seemed as though he had something to prove. He was over forceful.”

Mr Godwin said when he spoke to him about the way he was doing his job, Lee didn’t take criticism too well.

When trouble ensued between door staff and customers, Mr Godwin said Lee wasn’t “a cooler” of a situation and tended to get involved in arguments.

But he agreed with defence lawyer Matthew Jewell that he had not removed people from premises “inappropriately or over the top.”

The city crown court also heard from Darren Barrett, operations manager of a security company, who said he had viewed CCTV footage of an incident when Lee was employed as a door supervisor at a Winchester club.

He saw him having a conversation with a man and a woman who clipped him around the face and he slapped her back around the face with his right hand.

“My reaction was that it was unnecessary. She didn’t hit him hard and I would have tried to restrain her or stepped out of the way.

Slapping someone around the face is unwarranted and not part of the job.”

Lee, 31, of Alcantara Crescent, Southampton, denies causing grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm to John Jones, a student at Southampton Solent University, at KAOS nightclub in February last year.

The case was adjourned until tomorrow.

Proceeding