Deaf pair ejected from club went berserk

From: Lancashire Evening Post - Preston,England,UK - Dec 8, 2006

A night out for clients of deaf centres across the region ended in chaos when two of them went berserk with an iron bar after being thrown out of a club.

The profoundly deaf pair, Chris Jenkins and Liam Norman, wrenched the bar from railings outside Lava and Ignite, in Church Street, Preston, and began smashing things in a rage, causing £3,635 of damage.

They and two others from their group saw red after bouncers "took exception" to one of their friends chatting to a girl inside the club and a row began which led to

them being ejected.

Solicitors for the pair said they were "frustrated" as their communication problems left them unable to resolve the situation as they would wish and angry at being thrown out.

Jackie Garratt, prosecuting, said at 2.30am on Sunday, October 15 police arrested Jenkins, a father of two, from Chester, and Norman, from Manchester, both aged 23.

She said: "CCTV footage shows them using an iron bar to smash a number of reinforced glass panels and a ballustrade. The iron bar was prised from a railing used to guide disabled persons along the ramp.

"Both defendants also admitted kicking at the entrance door."

Paolo Passerini, defending Norman, who is an unemployed joiner, said: "He was ejected from the nightclub and, because of his own disability, he has not been able to remonstrate with the doorstaff as he would like to have done."

Richard Thomas, defending Jenkins, said: "Mr Jenkins was drunk as were the others. They were angry that they had been thrown out when they had only been trying to help their friend. Mr Jenkins accepts that he lost his temper."

Peter Jeffreys, chairman of the bench, gave them a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered them each to pay £1,817.50 in compensation and £40 costs.

© 2006 Lancashire Evening Post