Bouncer found guilty of paralysing student (From Daily Echo)

Fantastic news. Lets hope justice is done and he gets the sentencing he deserves.

Brilliant News, hope he gets the sentence he deserves, not such a hard nut now are you Mr Lee

Ive been a Doorman/Bouncer in Southampton for the last 12 years and am so glad this scumbag has been found guilty. The Full Nelson is such a dangerous position to put someone in and in my opinion should NEVER be used. Also the internet clips are disgusting, you should feel ashamed of yourself. Ive been in many situations that have been caught on tape, but ive NEver slapped a woman, Never elbowed a defenceless man while being held by a colleague or sucker punched someone when they are not expecting it.
There is no room on the Doors in Soutrhampton for you Mr Lee, you will soon find out youre not that hard at all in jail on your own away from your team of doorman.
Good luck John Jones with your future, im really sorry on behalf of all the decent doorman in Southampton

This is the news we've been hoping for. I hope Mr Lee has a long and difficult time in prison. I hope John and family can get on with a peaceful life. Best Wishes

He looks like Alan Carr?!!

Finally! The echo have allowed comments on this case! I'm so glad to hear that this scumbag bouncer has been found guilty!

I think bouncers should definately face stricter guildlines. Most I've chatted to are alright and quite a friendly, supportive group of people.

But then you a few clubs where the bouncers act like the gestapo and it is very unpleasant and oppressive. You can see that it just aggrivates the situation in some cases where you have a group of drunken people and they are hemmed in by bouncers... it's just asking for trouble.

The trouble is that the power goes to their head and they have the opportunity take advantage of vulnerable drunk people.

Hopefully the pain he has caused his victim will haunt Lee for the rest of his life.

Following this conviction, it enables John Jones to sue the KAOS night club for multi-million pound compensation.

Great news. Lee clearly found door work a big power trip and was proud of acting like the Gestapo. It will serve as a lesson to other like-minded people.

I hope the young lad and family can get on with their lives the best they can.

COOPER PIKEY wrote:
Ive been a Doorman/Bouncer in Southampton for the last 12 years and am so glad this scumbag has been found guilty. The Full Nelson is such a dangerous position to put someone in and in my opinion should NEVER be used. Also the internet clips are disgusting, you should feel ashamed of yourself. Ive been in many situations that have been caught on tape, but ive NEver slapped a woman, Never elbowed a defenceless man while being held by a colleague or sucker punched someone when they are not expecting it.
There is no room on the Doors in Soutrhampton for you Mr Lee, you will soon find out youre not that hard at all in jail on your own away from your team of doorman.
Good luck John Jones with your future, im really sorry on behalf of all the decent doorman in Southampton

You sound like you're a credit to your profession. Seriously. From the videos posted, Lee reacted with waaaaay out of proportion aggression.

soton1980 wrote:
Finally! The echo have allowed comments on this case! I'm so glad to hear that this scumbag bouncer has been found guilty!

I think bouncers should definately face stricter guildlines. Most I've chatted to are alright and quite a friendly, supportive group of people.

But then you a few clubs where the bouncers act like the gestapo and it is very unpleasant and oppressive. You can see that it just aggrivates the situation in some cases where you have a group of drunken people and they are hemmed in by bouncers... it's just asking for trouble.

The trouble is that the power goes to their head and they have the opportunity take advantage of vulnerable drunk people.

Hopefully the pain he has caused his victim will haunt Lee for the rest of his life.

The Echo won't allow comments on anything involving an ongoing court case, since said comments could arguably affect the case. Once a verdict is out, comments are usually opened up, but not before.

Let's hope the Judge sees fit to bang Lee away for a considerable period. I also hope that those who employed Lee (and the "statutory body")are suitably ashamed of themselves (and are well insured) as their vetting proceedure and training seem to have failed miserably.

soton1980 wrote:
Finally! The echo have allowed comments on this case! I'm so glad to hear that this scumbag bouncer has been found guilty! I think bouncers should definately face stricter guildlines. Most I've chatted to are alright and quite a friendly, supportive group of people. But then you a few clubs where the bouncers act like the gestapo and it is very unpleasant and oppressive. You can see that it just aggrivates the situation in some cases where you have a group of drunken people and they are hemmed in by bouncers... it's just asking for trouble. The trouble is that the power goes to their head and they have the opportunity take advantage of vulnerable drunk people. Hopefully the pain he has caused his victim will haunt Lee for the rest of his life.

To be fair, Doorman are very strictly monitered, its not like the old days when Doorman really were Bouncers. Its like every profession, there will always be bad apples, this one was rotten to the core!!!

Sunny Saint wrote:
Lee U R a W@nker & a disgrace to what has now generally become an honorable profession. Even the wearing of them ponsy glasses didnt cover up the fact that you are Moron. You should wear them when you are bang up, as you will have an **** like Harry Potters sleeve after being Bubba the love sponge for a couple of years!!

Always fascinates (read: bores) me when people get into a homo-erotic rage about goings-on in prison like this, like they're overcompensating for something. Does it excite you to talk about male rape like this?

Jim Smyth wrote:

COOPER PIKEY wrote: Ive been a Doorman/Bouncer in Southampton for the last 12 years and am so glad this scumbag has been found guilty. The Full Nelson is such a dangerous position to put someone in and in my opinion should NEVER be used. Also the internet clips are disgusting, you should feel ashamed of yourself. Ive been in many situations that have been caught on tape, but ive NEver slapped a woman, Never elbowed a defenceless man while being held by a colleague or sucker punched someone when they are not expecting it. There is no room on the Doors in Soutrhampton for you Mr Lee, you will soon find out youre not that hard at all in jail on your own away from your team of doorman. Good luck John Jones with your future, im really sorry on behalf of all the decent doorman in Southampton

You sound like you're a credit to your profession. Seriously. From the videos posted, Lee reacted with waaaaay out of proportion aggression.

Thanks Jim. Ive always meeted and greeted with a smile, bit of banter, puts people at ease. If you are agressive or Rude, its the first topic of conversation when they get to the bar " that doormans a t**t" and its in there mind all night. Fair but firm, learnt from good doorman like Lee Morrison and Ian Jackson

I presume none of the people above actually know Andrew Lee or were there the night it happened.Proves easily people are caught up in the maniupulation of the courts and the papers. I would hardly call the outcome "absolutley brilliant" - one man is paralysed for life and another found guilty for a crime that can't actually in any real physical evidence be proved. Videos on Andrews past bare no holiding on the actions of that night. How can people be so easily swayed to the point of hate when they have no proof? Thisis such a tragic story , hate and bad will won't make anyting better. If (and thats a big IF) Andrew Lee is guilty then he has to live with the consequences of that, via his sentence and his concscience, tragic accidents and mistakes happen and we are all capable of it, unproductive and uninformed insults from the public are completely uneccessary. You can't call someone you have never met a scumbag, when you have no perception of them as a person and the life they lead. I have never met Andrew Lee, but i am not gullible enough to believe the hate campaign created by the media. My heart absolutely bleeds for John Jones, and hope he finds much happiness, luck and love and is a bigger person than thsoe that commented to do something productive, move on and let go and be happy.

k87a wrote:
I presume none of the people above actually know Andrew Lee or were there the night it happened.Proves easily people are caught up in the maniupulation of the courts and the papers. I would hardly call the outcome "absolutley brilliant" - one man is paralysed for life and another found guilty for a crime that can't actually in any real physical evidence be proved. Videos on Andrews past bare no holiding on the actions of that night. How can people be so easily swayed to the point of hate when they have no proof? Thisis such a tragic story , hate and bad will won't make anyting better. If (and thats a big IF) Andrew Lee is guilty then he has to live with the consequences of that, via his sentence and his concscience, tragic accidents and mistakes happen and we are all capable of it, unproductive and uninformed insults from the public are completely uneccessary. You can't call someone you have never met a scumbag, when you have no perception of them as a person and the life they lead. I have never met Andrew Lee, but i am not gullible enough to believe the hate campaign created by the media. My heart absolutely bleeds for John Jones, and hope he finds much happiness, luck and love and is a bigger person than thsoe that commented to do something productive, move on and let go and be happy.

I never met Hitler but i know he was a scumbag!!!

12 of Lees peers tried him and found him guilty of GBH and ABH. i DIDNT SEE ANY HATE CAMPAIGNE.

Videos of his past exploits do matter. It shows what a hot headed fool he was, just like some of his colleagues testified too.
I hope he gets at least 5 years to think about destroying someones life

COOPER PIKEY wrote:

k87a wrote: I presume none of the people above actually know Andrew Lee or were there the night it happened.Proves easily people are caught up in the maniupulation of the courts and the papers. I would hardly call the outcome "absolutley brilliant" - one man is paralysed for life and another found guilty for a crime that can't actually in any real physical evidence be proved. Videos on Andrews past bare no holiding on the actions of that night. How can people be so easily swayed to the point of hate when they have no proof? Thisis such a tragic story , hate and bad will won't make anyting better. If (and thats a big IF) Andrew Lee is guilty then he has to live with the consequences of that, via his sentence and his concscience, tragic accidents and mistakes happen and we are all capable of it, unproductive and uninformed insults from the public are completely uneccessary. You can't call someone you have never met a scumbag, when you have no perception of them as a person and the life they lead. I have never met Andrew Lee, but i am not gullible enough to believe the hate campaign created by the media. My heart absolutely bleeds for John Jones, and hope he finds much happiness, luck and love and is a bigger person than thsoe that commented to do something productive, move on and let go and be happy.

I never met Hitler but i know he was a scumbag!!! 12 of Lees peers tried him and found him guilty of GBH and ABH. i DIDNT SEE ANY HATE CAMPAIGNE. Videos of his past exploits do matter. It shows what a hot headed fool he was, just like some of his colleagues testified too. I hope he gets at least 5 years to think about destroying someones life

I understand the view point - i dont understand the form of expression people have used, it's not intelligent and it's ignorant.

k87a wrote:

COOPER PIKEY wrote:

k87a wrote: I presume none of the people above actually know Andrew Lee or were there the night it happened.Proves easily people are caught up in the maniupulation of the courts and the papers. I would hardly call the outcome "absolutley brilliant" - one man is paralysed for life and another found guilty for a crime that can't actually in any real physical evidence be proved. Videos on Andrews past bare no holiding on the actions of that night. How can people be so easily swayed to the point of hate when they have no proof? Thisis such a tragic story , hate and bad will won't make anyting better. If (and thats a big IF) Andrew Lee is guilty then he has to live with the consequences of that, via his sentence and his concscience, tragic accidents and mistakes happen and we are all capable of it, unproductive and uninformed insults from the public are completely uneccessary. You can't call someone you have never met a scumbag, when you have no perception of them as a person and the life they lead. I have never met Andrew Lee, but i am not gullible enough to believe the hate campaign created by the media. My heart absolutely bleeds for John Jones, and hope he finds much happiness, luck and love and is a bigger person than thsoe that commented to do something productive, move on and let go and be happy.

I never met Hitler but i know he was a scumbag!!! 12 of Lees peers tried him and found him guilty of GBH and ABH. i DIDNT SEE ANY HATE CAMPAIGNE. Videos of his past exploits do matter. It shows what a hot headed fool he was, just like some of his colleagues testified too. I hope he gets at least 5 years to think about destroying someones life

I understand the view point - i dont understand the form of expression people have used, it's not intelligent and it's ignorant.

I feel very strongly about this situation, unfortunatly im not an academic so my words come out as i would say them, thats not ignorant.

Please look at the videos, he slaps a woman, he elbows someone in the face as a fellow doorman holds him and he delivers a sly right hook as hes talking to another punter. The only action thats justified is the lad who rushes the door, he stops him but then doesnt know what to do when he realises hes quite a big/usefull looking lad!!

Sorry kate, us ignoramisis are in the right.

k87a wrote:

COOPER PIKEY wrote:

k87a wrote: I presume none of the people above actually know Andrew Lee or were there the night it happened.Proves easily people are caught up in the maniupulation of the courts and the papers. I would hardly call the outcome "absolutley brilliant" - one man is paralysed for life and another found guilty for a crime that can't actually in any real physical evidence be proved. Videos on Andrews past bare no holiding on the actions of that night. How can people be so easily swayed to the point of hate when they have no proof? Thisis such a tragic story , hate and bad will won't make anyting better. If (and thats a big IF) Andrew Lee is guilty then he has to live with the consequences of that, via his sentence and his concscience, tragic accidents and mistakes happen and we are all capable of it, unproductive and uninformed insults from the public are completely uneccessary. You can't call someone you have never met a scumbag, when you have no perception of them as a person and the life they lead. I have never met Andrew Lee, but i am not gullible enough to believe the hate campaign created by the media. My heart absolutely bleeds for John Jones, and hope he finds much happiness, luck and love and is a bigger person than thsoe that commented to do something productive, move on and let go and be happy.

I never met Hitler but i know he was a scumbag!!! 12 of Lees peers tried him and found him guilty of GBH and ABH. i DIDNT SEE ANY HATE CAMPAIGNE. Videos of his past exploits do matter. It shows what a hot headed fool he was, just like some of his colleagues testified too. I hope he gets at least 5 years to think about destroying someones life

I understand the view point - i dont understand the form of expression people have used, it's not intelligent and it's ignorant.

Its passionate, often enflamed by the fact that idiots often get off such cases with little or no punishent.

I think its perfectly reasonable to call Mr Lee's character into question after the simple matter of his conviction. It is part of the price he pays for being wreckless and dangerous.

BTW Cooper Pikey - I know of Lee Morrison and have met him only the once (about 8 years ago iirc). The man is a legend in Doorman and martial arts circles and has written a fair few good books. My own Brother used to do his urban survival course too.

I'm very pleased that this man has been found guilty. I also find the whole situation incredibly sad, and wish John Jones and his family well. I spent many many happy hours in Kaos when I was a student, and always found it a safe place to be, with very little attitude or similar issues that you can find in other parts of town. It was a long time ago, but the fact that this occured there saddens me. As someone who knows a number of people who used to work as door staff in Southampton, and as someone who is an experienced martial artist themselves, I am fully aware that both activities can attract people who engage in them for the wrong reasons, and hopefully the fact that Mr Lee appears to be part of the minority will not further cloud an already murky pool.
My best wishes to John Jones.

Im afriad to say that i do know him and the attitude he displays in these videos is very true to what he is like. He has a bad attitude which does reflect badly on his profession. Im actually suprised that he was still working on the door, i remember a time when most door staff refused to work with him because of the way he was. I can not believe this has happened to J Jones and i certianly send him all my wishes. Lee has shown no remorse - and that does not suprise me from what i know of him and his god complex. i do hope he recieves a sentence that reflects what he has done. i know that working on the door is a very hard job but you do have to have a certian personality to cope with it and to do a good job and Lee certainly did not. he was only concerned with "looking hard" and the women, like he had something to prove. Not all door staff are like this but now they have to do an even better job to prove it.he has brought shame on the profession.

I also knew Mr. Lee to be emotionless and self-absorbed. He said he was constanly picked on by other Doorman for being of slender build and being "too small" to work the doors. He said the Doormen never took him seriously. His wanting to "prove himself" was something he constantly displayed by at times instigating a row or fight. I have seen firsthand him entering a fight or escalating a situation into a brawl to impress a girl he fancied. I have been put into a full nelson (keep in mind I am a girl) by Mr. Lee and he almost popped my shoulder out of its joint. I was sore for over a week and could barely move that arm. It really put me off continuing a friendship with him after that. It is no surprise to me he has ended up in this situation. It was only a matter of time judging his behaviour. It is most unfortunate and saddening that it has taken a horrible injury and the ruin of a young man´s life for Mr. Lee to be halted of his downward spiral of behaviour. There is something definately mentally "broken" with Mr. Lee and it is high time that karma comes to give him a sobering "full nelson" to make him stop and think for once in his life. I know many Doormen and I highly respect what they do for their jobs. It can be a thank less job and a challenging one too. They deserve a lot more respect than they receive but the ones who abuse their position should definately be held accountable. Mr. Lee could do with a lot of counseling, therapy, anger management courses altho his ability to absorb any wisdom from life seems to be direly hampered. He has learned the ability to be articulate so that he can portray himself to be what he is not.... An intelligent, conscientious, responsible,kind,hon
orable and mature man. We all have a choice to learn from our mistakes but if it must take a most severe mistake to inject the lesson then defiance and utter disregard should be reprimanded. I see that Mr. Lee will only grow in his rage in anger once he´s banged up and return to society even more broken and hollow. No lessen learned.

Brill news. I do know the family, as for the person who thinks we are all ganging up "get real" too many do gooders around, Andrew Lee deserves everything thats coming to him, I know the devastion he has caused this family, would you be so forgiving if it was your son, "I think not"

lee was convicted of assault in july 2008 he recieved a 18 month suspended sentance.
how is he still working on the door with a criminal record.
it's clear to me the suspended sentance was wery leaniant.
lee.i hope your parents disown you.

I bet when he gets locked up he kick's off, how arrogant can he be, never once has this so called man apologised for what is clearly appalling behaviour. He thinks he's above everyone, well when he gets to Winchester nick, he will be able to try his luck.

So much for SIA licensing, a convicted criminal for a violent offence, should never have been given a license to work on the door, I hope John Jones sue's whoever gave this thug the opportunity to inflect these injuries.

Why are you putting it in inverted commas?! "I think not" ~ that implies that you do think I will be forgiving.

And, once again you have proved my point about these opinions being ignorant and uninformed because as it turns out I have had a very similar situation happen within my family.

Andy was a good doorman most of the time, he's made some choices that have led to him getting this conviction. Peers are mentioned, Darren Barrett Area Mgr from Big Security was a character witness - seriously, they've never got on, and some of the other character witnesses seem carefully picked as people that didn't like him or would benefit from his silence. I agree that what he did this night was a mistake, and the videos posted were obviously some kind of ego trip. Don't judge someone you don't know.

thestore - Well said!

Andy is a good guy and a first-class friend. I presume none of you were there the night it happened? Calling him a “Scumbag” etc is an unnecessary use of your energy; most of you do not know him that well, if at all. The events that took place that night were a mistake.

Good luck to John for the future.

I know Andy very very well. He is a good person who has made an unfortunate mistake. He would never intentionally hurt anyone. He took his job very seriously and respected his peers as well as his responsibilties as a Doorman. He was never out to "impress a girl" by instigating a brawl. He was extremely protective of those he cared for and patrons of any place where he was working. He is intelligent, articulate and very good at neutralizing a situation verbally. His first approach was always to talk it out and would only choose to "get physical" if the situation got out of hand and it risked others getting hurt. When you have a job to make a judgement call your decision will oftentimes be under criticism and scrutiny by those whom were not present, ignoratnt of the circumstances or cant relate to this situation at all. That is the risk one takes for such jobs but he takes those risks to protect us the best way he can. Nothing can return Mr. Jones´s life back to the way it was and casting judgement on Andy about a mistake he made when he tried his best wont help either John Jones or Andrew Lee. How convenient that your coverage here only seem to include testimonials from those whom were not supportive of Andrew Lee. You included the occasional "neutral" jest I suppose to appear unbiased but it is shameful the way Andy has been portrayed. He didnt have a chance in hell. He has to live with this mistake for the rest of his life. I know him and his conscience weighs heavy from the tiniest of mistakes and I know he is remorseful and feels horribly for Mr. Jones. He did not offer an apology to Mr. Jones as he knew it would not change the damage he has done. He is thinking that no words are worth speaking if it does not improve the situation. As cold as that may appear, it is out of respect to Mr. Jones that Andy would keep silent. When he posts his videos it is often to show the challenges Doormen face at their jobs. He is the least egotistical person I know. He is also very wise for his age and extremely sweet and generous person. If it was your son who made the same mistake would you want him to be condemned as Mr. Lee has been? It is true as "theStore" mentioned most everyone asked to testify had personal issues against Andy and they are not the most reputable of their ilk. He tried his best and it was not good enough this time. He is not a criminal. He is human and he made a mistake. My absolute best wishes for the Jones family. And despite everything you have your true friends behind you V.P.

Salome wrote:
I know Andy very very well. He is a good person who has made an unfortunate mistake. He would never intentionally hurt anyone. He took his job very seriously and respected his peers as well as his responsibilties as a Doorman. He was never out to "impress a girl" by instigating a brawl. He was extremely protective of those he cared for and patrons of any place where he was working. He is intelligent, articulate and very good at neutralizing a situation verbally. His first approach was always to talk it out and would only choose to "get physical" if the situation got out of hand and it risked others getting hurt. When you have a job to make a judgement call your decision will oftentimes be under criticism and scrutiny by those whom were not present, ignoratnt of the circumstances or cant relate to this situation at all. That is the risk one takes for such jobs but he takes those risks to protect us the best way he can. Nothing can return Mr. Jones´s life back to the way it was and casting judgement on Andy about a mistake he made when he tried his best wont help either John Jones or Andrew Lee. How convenient that your coverage here only seem to include testimonials from those whom were not supportive of Andrew Lee. You included the occasional "neutral" jest I suppose to appear unbiased but it is shameful the way Andy has been portrayed. He didnt have a chance in hell. He has to live with this mistake for the rest of his life. I know him and his conscience weighs heavy from the tiniest of mistakes and I know he is remorseful and feels horribly for Mr. Jones. He did not offer an apology to Mr. Jones as he knew it would not change the damage he has done. He is thinking that no words are worth speaking if it does not improve the situation. As cold as that may appear, it is out of respect to Mr. Jones that Andy would keep silent. When he posts his videos it is often to show the challenges Doormen face at their jobs. He is the least egotistical person I know. He is also very wise for his age and extremely sweet and generous person. If it was your son who made the same mistake would you want him to be condemned as Mr. Lee has been? It is true as "theStore" mentioned most everyone asked to testify had personal issues against Andy and they are not the most reputable of their ilk. He tried his best and it was not good enough this time. He is not a criminal. He is human and he made a mistake. My absolute best wishes for the Jones family. And despite everything you have your true friends behind you V.P.

He would never intentionally hurt anyone, I think the videos he posted show thats not true

As always a minority of people think its clever to flout the truth and base their rant on either their own small knowledge of the incident or to air their sizable 'chip on the shoulder'. I fear as well some folk have read the Echo with a view that’s it is a guardian of truth and not a commercial enterprise that has to sell papers.... Rest assured the vast majority of people let others rant inanely and not be bothered with their unfounded comments. My best wishes to Mr Jones and his future after this terrible accident. I think we will be putting on trial our soldiers for shooting too many bullets at the Taliban next .... S

I think the words "mistake" and "accident" are being used out of context here.

An accident is unavoidable. It appears he could have avoided the severity of this situation.

As for a mistake. He chose to execute those manouvres in full knowledge of the potential outcomes.

Then we now have people complaining that The Echo is misleading us. If you have any evidence of this then contact the Press Complaints Commission rather that posting libellious comments online. The paper just regurgitates the information is is given via the courts and from their reporters.

I was there the night that the incident happened and I know both parties involved, I am not a particular friend of either. Its strange that no mention has been made about the fact that this would have been avoided had Jon not been acting like a tit. He was drunk, appeared aggressive towards a female and was trying to force entry to the female lavatories, he had also been refused service from the bar for appearing too drunk. Granted Andrew chose the entirely wrong method but he was faced with a split second decision, one he is now paying for. It is again worth mentioning that had Jon not kicked out agressively when being ejected (using the wrong method) he would not have contributed greatly in bringing down the bouncer on top of him which ultimately brought about his injuries.

When the paramedics took him away it is worth noting that they didn't put him on a stretcher or fit a neck brace, they put him in a wheelchair with no head support. This could have easily contributed to his final condition. But they were just doing their Job, and we cant chastice someone for doing their job now can we.